Kate Pate and Travis
by Mindrider
Summary: What happens when Connor and Travis play a prank on Katie that leaves her a little... Well... Blue? Will Travis get the kiss he wants? Image by Chica-Samira on Deviantart.
1. Kate Pate

**Edited this first chapter, though I haven't gotten around to editing the rest of the story. hope you like it **

"You are unbelievable, Travis Stoll!" Katie yelled at the top of her lungs from inside the girls' bathroom.

Connor and I just chuckled, keeping the camera pointed at the closed door. She would have to come out eventually.

"I can't wait to see her face," Connor whispered through a cheesy smile.

"I know right?" I exclaimed. "Man, I bet you it's gonna be purple."

"What are you talking about?" he asked curiously. "We put blue dye in her moisturizer."

I smiled. "I know, but mixed with the red from her anger…"

We both giggled, shaking the camera a little by accident.

From behind the door Katie screeched, "I'm going to pulverize you two, you realize? Both of you! _Right now!_"

In between gasps of laughter, Connor yelled, "I'd like to see you try, Smurfy!" We both cracked up for a good minute, and I could hear her mumbling Greek curses under her breath.

"Now really, Katie," I began, tasting the sarcasm on my tongue. "It's about time you got out of there. A camper might tell Chiron the dudes from Avatar are taking a visit."

I heard her growl in frustration. She knew she had no choice. She could either come out right now and be embarrassed, or come out in an hour and _still_ be embarrassed. She snarled, "If I come out of here and you've got a camera pointed at my face, I'm going to take it and shove up your a-"

"Language, my dear." Connor said, cutting her off. We laughed at the irony.

Katie took advantage of our distracted laughter and stormed out of the bathroom, her hood pulled as far over her face as the fabric allowed.

"Hey wait!" I called, snatching the camera from Connor's hand and running to catch up with her. "Come on Kate Pate, look at the camera for me!" I said to the grey hoodie, striding briskly away from me.

"Go away, idiot," she snarled. "And don't call me that."

"_Kate Pate, Kate Pate, Kate Pate_…"

"Shut _up_!" She turned around for a split second, saw the camera in my hand, and took off in a run.

"Katie, come back!" I sang, running after her. Sadly, being a child of Hermes, I don't have too much running talent, and I ended up tripping over my own feet and falling on the ground.

"Ouch." I said, lying in the dirt, staring lazily up at the sun.

"Come on, Forest Gump," Connor grunted, grabbing the camera off the dirt and pulling me up from the ground. Let's go."

I jumped back on my feet, and followed him over to the Demeter cabin.

That place was flower mania, I'm telling you. With twelve plant loving, cereal crazy teens gardening every single day, the place gets really overcrowded with roses and petunias, and such. Regardless, Connor and I jumped up the stairs two at a time, making a few Demeter kids angry by stepping on their orchids.

Oh, I'm so _terribly_ sorry.

Conner rapped on the door of her cabin. "Come on Katie, love," he said, his voice dripping with something venomously sweet. "You know you want to come out."

"Go away before murder you," she growled.

"Come on, Katie," I begged. "Be happy we didn't die your lip gloss blue, too."

"Yeah," Connor agreed. "I don't think Travis would like kissing that."

"Nu uh, no way." I agreed.

"Well," she said, trying to sound calm, "I wouldn't kiss Travis if my _life _depended on it so it really doesn't matter." After a few moments she added, "So go away."

"Hmm, no can do, sweetheart," I said with a shake of my head.

"Sorry love," Connor said. "But we're not going away until you kiss Travis."

"Well then you'd better get comfy."

"Come on Kate Pate, you know you want to."

"About as much as I want to sit in an electric chair… Actually, the chair might be preferable."

"You don't want your skin to go back to normal?" Connor asked, pretending to be shocked.

"_Nothing_ is worth kissing…" She paused. "Wait, _what_?"

Connor and I quietly high fived.

"Oh, sorry babe," I said making an apologetic face at her cabin door. "Guess we forgot to mention that in order for you to regain your normal, overly pale, and freckled, skin color, you have to kiss me."

Katie went quiet.

"You're lying."

"Wish I were."

"You _wouldn't _do that."

"Oh guess what! _I would_."

I heard sharp footsteps from inside her cabin and the slide of a lock. The door to the Demeter cabin opened a crack and an eye peered at us. Glaring at the camera, she blinked her blue eyelid.

"Please tell me you're kidding, Travis," she begged. "_Please_."

I shook my head. "Nope, not kidding. Sorry. We went to the Aphrodite cabin and got the dye specially made."

Connor chuckled and I raised an eyebrow at Katie suggestively.

She rolled her eye before opening the door to reveal her completely blue face.

"There we go." Connor whispered, zooming in on her nose.

She ignored him and turned to me. "There is really no other way to get rid of this."

"Nope."

"Absolutely nothing?"

"Not a thing."

"You're really positive?" Her voice sounded genuinely scared.

Meanwhile, Connor was probably making our video all blurry from laughing so hard.

"Go die in a hole, Stoll," Katie snapped at him.

"No can do, Gardner," he informed her in between snorts. "There's no way I'm missing this."

She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Alright then, let's get this over with. Come here, Travis."

"Don't need to ask me twice." I grinned and took a few steps closer.

Katie leaned her head against the door frame. It might've been my imagination but her eyes seemed to flick to my lips. "This means absolutely _nothing_," she emphasized. "Do you understand?"

"I understand perfectly," I said with a grin.

She closed her eyes and I assumed she was praying to her mother.

"Kaaaatie?" I stepped even closer to her.

"Just do it," she whimpered.

"Whoops, no can do. You've got to kiss me."

She opened her eyes. With a small sigh she brought her nose level with mine and gave a sly smile.

"Why are you doing this, Travis?" she asked in quiet whisper so that Connor wouldn't hear.

I shrugged. "'Cause it annoys the crap out of you," I admitted.

"There has to be another reason," she said, touching her blue nose to mine.

I shrugged again, trying to keep my eyes from getting lost in her brown ones. Her deep, deep, brown pools of – _Snap out of it Travis._

"Do you like me, Travis?" she asked quietly, shaking me out of my daze. "Do you _like like _me?"

I felt my head starting to spin. It took all of my willpower not to blurt out the word 'yes' in every language I knew, but Connor had a camera so I had to stay cool.

"I don't know, Katie," I lied. "Do you like me?" I winked at her.

She smiled, her eyes twinkling. "Maybe this will answer your question."

I closed my eyes and waited for her kiss.

Instead I got a punch in the jaw and a door slammed in my face.

"Sorry _love_," she called from the inside of her cabin.

I regained my balance and held my aching jaw.

"You'll have to kiss me sometime, Kate Pate," I shouted, irritated. "You know you will!"

I heard her high pitched giggle. "There are always loopholes, babe! You, of all people, should know that."

I nodded. I, of all people, _did _know that, but I wasn't going to tell her.

"Come on, Connor," I grumbled, in a bad mood all of the sudden. "I need some ice."

So, me and my hysterical brother left the house of the clever little Smurfette, and went to get me an ice pack.


	2. The Goddesses Plan

**People seemed to like the first chapter enough, so I decided to write a second chapter! It's short, but I hope you like it!**

Aphrodite couldn't help but giggle as she watched poor Katie scrubbing at her face. That pitiful little soul, so confused, so helpless – Aphrodite felt terrible for her. She had no idea who she loved and who loved her. Clueless. She was a romantic mess - that was for sure. And Aphrodite knew that she had to do something about it.

"Whatcha watching?" Ares asked, walking into their living room, plopping down on the couch next to Aphrodite.

"Oh just demigod watching." she replied. "The usual."

"You really can't get enough of that, can you?" he asked, stealing a handful of popcorn from her bowl.

"It's the funniest show there is!" she exclaimed. "Especially when it shows Travis and Katie." she sighed. "They're one of my _favorites_." she giggled as the camera switched to Travis, holding an icepack to his jaw, glumly.

"Why Katie and Travis?' Ares asked.

This sent Aphrodite into a long explanation about 'Tratie' and how 'Travis and Katie were _perfect _for each other but they would never be able to figure it out themselves.'  
>Aphrodite sighed. Demigod love was so difficult.<p>

Why wouldn't these kids just express their feelings? Why did she have sit back and watch while they made their lives so hard, when really, they could be so much fun!

The camera switched to some sap story about a new camper who had fallen in love with the _completely _wrong guy.

Aphrodite groaned, changing the channel. There had to be a way to get Travis and Katie together without making it too obvious she was helping. She sat back and thought for a moment, the gears in her brain slowly turning.

"Aha!" she said suddenly, knocking the popcorn onto the floor.

"What?" asked Ares, clearly startled.

"I know what to do now!" she exclaimed, ignoring the popcorn and jumping off the couch.

"What the…" Ares shrugged before calling a servant in to clean up the popcorn.

Aphrodite ran to a fountain outside and grabbed a drachma from her pocket.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering." she said, flipping the coin into the fountain. It disappeared through the colored mist and she said the name of the person she wanted to talk to.

"Whoa! Aphrodite?" he asked, blinking, unsure if he was seeing her for real.

Aphrodite smiled her sweetest smile. "Hello there, Connor dear. You wouldn't by any chance mind finding Rachel Dare, would you? I'd like to have a chat with you both…

**Ooh… What's she planning?**


	3. The Quest

**Here's the third chapter, it's not the most exciting, sorry. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

The next morning at breakfast, Connor seemed distracted.

I tried joking with him about the Katie thing, but he was just so out of it. If you're wondering (Which I'm sure you are), the daughter of Demeter's face was still bright blue. However she had obviously taken a trip to the Aphrodite cabin; she had more cover up on her skin than the make-up company _Sephora _probably had in stock. I tried mentioning this to Connor but he just gave me a faint smile, his brain obviously somewhere else.

"What's wrong, dude?" I asked, watching him swirl his spoon around in his cereal. "Girl problems?"

He laughed. "Ha! No. Don't worry, you'll see in a few…"

I cocked an eyebrow curiously. What was he hiding?

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Other than his weird attitude the only odd thing that I'd witnessed that morning was him walking alongside Rachel Dare on the way to breakfast. I mean, I'd given him a questioning look (duh), but he'd shaken his head as if to say, _'It's nothing, man don't worry_.' But whether Rachel was related or not, something was definitely up.

My curiosity was cured when Chiron made an announcement.

"Children," he began. Campers slowly lowered their voices, curious as to what he would say. "I hope you're enjoying your breakfast, but I need you to listen for just one moment, Connor Stoll, Son of Hermes has an announcement." He motioned to my brother who stood up.

"What's going on?" I asked him in a whisper.

He just smiled and cleared his throat. "Hey guys, just wanted to let you know, I was talking to the _lovely_ Miss. Rachel Dare earlier today," he waved to her and she rolled her eyes, "And she suddenly went all statue like. Luckily, I am used to this – it's a common response from girls when they see me – and did not find it creepy. After she was all pale and stuff, she sprouted a prophecy of some sort. It was like, '_Aphrodite's necklace has been, like, stolen. You must go retrieve it from the spirit of trickery… Yeah!_'" He nodded and gave a thumbs up.

A few people snorted.

"So, I was thinking about who I should take with me."

Suddenly, a million hands shot in the air at once. Everyone was anxious to get out of Camp Half-Blood and make a name for themselves – it was natural for us. But Connor shook his head.

"I've already made my decision, so you can put your hands down. Though, it's nice to see how many of you guys want to spend quality time with me."

An Ares girl snorted. "Yeah, _that's _what it is, Stoll..."

Connor just winked at her. "You know you love me, Sarah!"

"So," said Mr. D, beginning to get agitated, "Who'd you pick, boy? We don't have all day!" He stared longingly at the strawberry fields.

"I chose…" Connor paused for dramatic effect, "My dear brother Travis!"

I smiled just like a movie star (I'd practiced a lot in my mirror) and waved to the campers.

Everybody groaned, but I'm sure they're just jealous.

I sat down again and Connor continued. "The second, and final, person I chose is none other than the wonderful, beautiful, but extremely annoying, Katie Gardner!"

Katie, who had been walking with her plate right behind me, suddenly dropped it. The plate hit the ground with a loud clang and everyone whirled around.

"Me?" she asked in disbelief. "I've never even been on a quest before!"

I smiled, an evil idea hatching in my brain. I swung my legs over the bench of the picnic table, my water glass still in my hands, and slung my arm around a confused looking Katie.

"Looks like we'll be spending some time together, Garner." I said, taking a sip of water.

She pushed my arm off and leaned down to pick up the food that she'd spilled on the ground. "No way, Stoll. I am backing out of this quest the second I get the chance."

I laughed. "I believe it. I _totally _buy that you're going to spend the entire time I'm on this quest with that little… Dilemma of yours."

I watched her shoulders tense.

"And," I added, smiling. "What if I die on this quest? What the hades will you do if that happens?"

She growled. "You are so unbelievably immature I could easily mistake you for a five year old."

I chuckled. "You're cute. Now, let me help you with that."

I leaned down to pick up her fallen plate, but at the same time tipped my glass so the water fell right on the top of her head. She let out a very unpleasant squeal and people at nearby tables turned to look as the water tricked down her face, leaving behind a very blue wake.

"What's wrong with her face?" someone asked.

Katie's face was steaming. She stood up, dropping all of the food she had picked up. She grabbed a pancake off the ground and chucked it at my face. It hit me right on the nose before falling to the ground, leaving behind the scent of butter and syrup. I watched amusedly as she stormed off, her face still dripping with cover up stained water.

As she turned away, I couldn't help but notice her eyes were a little teary. I felt a shudder of guilt go through me as she ran off behind a cabin, her hands covering her eyes.

_Me, Travis Stoll, feeling guilty? Well this is new._  
>I sighed, the happy smile suddenly gone from my face.<br>I did not like the feeling of guilt.

_Olympus_

Aphrodite watched from her living room as Katie ran away crying.

She groaned. Just leave it to Travis to ruin a perfectly good plan. Whatever, she'd find a way to get Katie on that quest; in fact, she already had an idea taking form in her head. Yeah… That one would work. Aphrodite smiled as she watched Travis's facial expression. It had turned all sad and guilty. Aww! Travis felt bad!

Picking up her phone to call Connor, she sighed and sniffled. Travis was just so adorable. He and Katie would be _perfect _for each other.

She couldn't wait to make it happen.

**Yeah, boring chapter, sorry. I had to set it up somehow. Btw, I'm not quite sure how this story's gonna go yet. I wrote it after I read a Tratie fic thinking it would be a one shot. If anyone has ideas they want me to incorporate just send me a PM!**

**Btw, the quest is supposed to sound lame, it's fake :D**


	4. California and Blackmail

**I officially have a plot for this story. Yay! I'll start bringing it in at the end of this chapter, so you'll start to see where I'm going.**

**If you remember, their **_**'quest'**_** is to retrieve Aphrodite's necklace from Dolos, the spirit of trickery.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just thought I should stick one of these in here somewhere.**

I carelessly threw the last few things of mine into my knapsack before zipping it tight. Rachel had told me yesterday during archery that we were leaving to search for the _spirit of trickery_, or whatever, at six the next morning. Despite how early it was, I found myself oddly excited. At dinner the night before – only a day after Katie had thrown the pancake at my face – Katie had come up to me and Connor and agreed to go on the quest.

"We knew you'd decide to come, eventually." said Connor, patting her on the head.

Katie scowled. "Believe me, I don't want to come."

We just smiled and said goodbye. After she left, we high fived.

Luck was back on our side.

So anyway, here I was, standing at the top of the hill, waiting for Connor and Katie, when Rachel Dare walks up.

Now, she's not the worst person in the world but Connor and I have this thing about her. See, being the oracle and all, we can never really play pranks on her. She sees them all coming and somehow makes them backfire at us. Countless times we've found our own confetti bombs in our own water bottles and tongue enlarging mashed potatoes on our own dinner plates. But, hey, it was six in the morning and I was too tired to be snarky. Yawning, I resorted to a tired,

"Hey, Carrot Top, what's up?"

She smiled, ignoring my carrot comment. "Hey Travis, I just wanted to talk to you quickly before Connor and Katie show up." She plopped down on the dirt next to me, under Thalia's Pine. I looked down at my watch.

"Well, it's precisely six, and they'll be here any minute." I observed. "So start talking."

She smiled. "Actually, I told you to come fifteen minutes early. So, I'll take my time, thanks."

"Wait, you what?"

"I had a vision a few days ago, Travis."

I sighed, deciding the drop the 'fifteen minutes early' thing. "Yes?"

She gave me a grin that basically said _'ha!' _"In this vision," she continued, "I saw you and your buddies on the quest in a park."

"A park?" I asked with a snort. I was hoping for a hospital, or a graveyard, or that cool place with the fire in Terminator 2…

"Yes." she said matter-o-fact-ly. "It was this really pretty one, actually. With nice tall palms and flowers." she sighed. "I almost wish I could come with you guys. It's a really _romantic _place, you know. For you and Katie." she winked and I blushed.

"And what are you implying with that statement, Dare?"

She shrugged. "Nothing. Well, anyway, the park's in California, so that's where I'd suggest heading first. Maybe by plane. Zeus has nothing against Demeter or Hermes."

She gave me a piece of paper with information about the park. I just yawned, shoving it into my back pocket, not even bothering to try to face my dyslexia at six in the morning. Being mostly mortal, Rachel didn't know Greek.

We talked (well, poked each other and exchanged rude comments), for the next five minutes or so until it struck six fifteen and two sluggish figures appeared through the mist, tramping up Half-Blood hill. Katie's face was caked in cover up, once again, and with the sun barely up I couldn't even see a tint of the blue color it really was. I told this to her and she punched me. But, for some reason her heart just didn't seem in it. I didn't ask her why, in fear of being snapped at, but I watched her carefully. _Meh, it's probably just being up and at em' at six in the morning._ I reassured myself.

_**Katie's POV**_

I hated being up and at em' at six in the morning. I mean, really. Could this week get any worse? First I get my entire face died blue, then I get pushed on a quest I don't want to go on, and now, on top of it all, I have the spirit of trickery talking to me in my dreams. Oh, I didn't mention that before? Well, yeah. It's Dolos. Sounds like a nice name, right? Kind of clowny and goofy.

Well that's not accurate in the least.

He's the rear of a satyr if you catch my drift.

_He _is the reason I decided to come on the quest in the first place. He came to me in a dream two nights ago. He threatened me. He told me I _had _to go on this quest. If I didn't, he would make sure that Travis died and I was stuck with my blue face for all eternity. So, I agreed to go on the quest. Well, he didn't force me, really. I was on the fence originally; Dolos only helped me make my decision final. He has no control over me, really. Not even right now. No control. Nada. I didn't eat bacon this morning for breakfast because he told me to in my dream last night. I _wanted _that bacon. Really. Being a vegetarian gets old sometimes…

"Come on Kate Pate." said Travis, interrupting my thoughts. "We've got to get plane tickets. We're going to California!" he said the state name in some weird robotic voice. He and Connor started cracking up and I groaned.

Between the blackmailing spirit in my dreams, and the two obnoxious brothers who have fun by sticking confetti bombs in water bottles, this was going to be one long quest.

**So Dolos is blackmailing Katie. Don't worry, he will start making her do worse things as the story goes on… :D**


	5. Five Demons and a Fat Guy

**Long chapter ahead! I hope you like it!**

_**Connor's POV**_

It was approximately seven hours later that our plane landed in California. To be honest, I was really excited for this quest. I had never been to California before and it sounded like a really nice place; Full of hot girls and such. But, I also had a task at hand that I couldn't forget. Aphrodite was counting on me to get Katie and Travis together. And, if I didn't, there would be consequences.

Bad consequences.

So, as I drove the car that Aphrodite supplied for us (I told them it was Mr. D's doing) I whispered to Connor, "Don't you think Katie looks cute today?"

He turned around to look at the brown haired daughter of Demeter who was asleep, drooling on the seat. "I dunno. Why, do you like her? Isn't she a little young for you?"

I choked on my spit and sent myself into a coughing fit that woke Katie up.

"No! No way!" I sputtered out, trying to get my breath.

"What's wrong, doofus?" she asked, yawning.

I cleared my throat. "Oh, uh, nothing. Don't worry about it."

She rolled her eyes.

"How was your beauty nap, my drooly little princess?" Travis asked her, smiling and fluttering his eyelashes like an idiot.

She opened her mouth to say something, but then her face turned red and she closed it. "It was fine, thanks."

I raised an eyebrow. Why wasn't she teasing him now? With all of the stupid things Travis does, she'd have a million comebacks. We came to a stoplight and I turned to look at her.

"Something wrong, Princess?"

She shook her head no, but her red face claimed otherwise.

"It was just a bad dream." she insisted, seeing my unbelieving face.

I shrugged and turned back to the wheel, not bothering to question her.

_**Katie's POV**_

I let out a sigh of relief as he went back to driving. My good friend Dolos had come to me again in my dreams, and given me yet another task.

Compliment Connor on his muscles.

Ugh. Why does he hate me?

It's not like Connor doesn't have nice muscles (he's a demigod, duh), but complimenting them is just… Suggesting that I like him.

I_ don't_ like him.

He's a few years older than me, already in college, and it would just be wrong if I said something. It was a stupid idea anyway. Why should Dolos care about my social life? He's a spirit, not my boss. I don't have to do what he says.

But I had a sinking feeling that maybe, just maybe, I did.

I ignored it, and allowed it to completely slip from my head when I head Travis exclaim,

"Wait! Dude, pull over there!"

Connor veered off the left at the last possible second, and winced as twenty cars blared their horns at once.

"What was that?" Connor asked, glaring at his brother.

"Sorry," shrugged Travis. "Rachel told about that park over there. I think we should stay there for the day."

Connor gave him a confused look.

Travis sighed. "I talked to her before you guys met us at the top of Half-Blood hill. She described a park. The description sounded a lot like that one over there."

I looked over. It was a pretty park. It had a lot of trees and flowers. I wouldn't mind staying there for a day or two.

"Let's go!" I agreed. Travis smiled at me and I couldn't help but grin back.

He had a nice smile.

Connor suggested that we check into a hotel before we got too tired and cranky to. We agreed and he pulled into the parking lot of a nice looking place called, _Hollywood Hotel_. We pulled past a fancy black gate, and I gulped.

"This place is going to be expensive."

"We have money." Connor insisted, handing the valet guy our keys.

We walked inside and were immediately greeted by air conditioning and a nice fresh smell.

"Mmmm, this place is nice." Travis grinned.

I smirked and walked over to a bench while Connor worked out all of the stuff with the hotel lady at the front desk. He finished up quickly and handed me and Travis room keys.

"Adjoining rooms." he said. "Let's go to that park now and check out our rooms later tonight."

We walked together outside, down a few blocks and then over to the park we had passes before. Kids were running around and couples sat on picnic blankets, enjoying the nice weather. I smiled as the wind pushed my hair out of my face. I was glad we were going to California and not someplace with a ton of humidity. Because, when there's humidity there's sweating, and when there's sweating, there's not so much cover up on my face anymore. Unsure of what to do, we plopped down next to a tree, and just sat there quietly.

That went on for quite some time. Just hanging there under the shade of the tree and watching people play and have fun in the park. It was about three in the afternoon (California time), and we were all tired, bored, and starving.

"I'll go get us some food." Connor said after hearing Travis's stomach growl for the umpteenth time. He left to go find a hot dog cart or something, leaving me and Travis alone.

"So…" I began, trying to start a conversation.

"So what, Katie Patie?"

"Would you please stop calling me that?" I growled.

"Sure."

"Thank you."

"…"

"…"

"Kate Pate."

"Shut up."

This went on for quite some time.

_**Connors POV… Yes, again.**_

As soon as I was out of their range of hearing, I ran to a boy's bathroom and IM'ed Aphrodite.

"Why Hello there Connor!" she greeted me with a warm smile.

My stomach jumped. No matter how many times I saw that women I would never get over how pretty she was. She was currently adopting wavy blonde hair with a flower clip on the side. Her eyes were as chocolaty as they could be and her lips were the brightest pink. If only she were actually here…

"I can hear your thoughts, Connor Darling." Aphrodite stated, making me turn a little red in the face.

"Oh – erm – sorry."

She laughed. "Don't worry about it. Now, how are things going with operation Kate Pate and Travis?"

I shrugged. "Fine I guess. But Rachel told Travis about this park, probably 'cause it's romantic and stuff, but they're expecting something to happen. Something having to do with that Spirit guy who supposedly stole your necklace. Door Post or whatever."

"Dolos." she corrected. "He's the Spirit of Trickery."

"Oh." I said, not caring.

"Hmm, let me think." she said, before pausing. "Aha! I've got it!"

"Yes?" I asked. My stomach was rumbling and I could smell those hot dogs from a mile away.

"Use your phone." instructed Aphrodite.

I cocked my head. "Right now?"

"When you get back to the park." she directed. "That way, monsters will come."

"And that's a good thing?" I asked, still not understanding.

She laughed. "Oh Connor, you're a man, you can deal with them. But, when the monsters come you can blame it on Dolos. That way it will seem as if something is actually going on."

"Ohh," I said, finally beginning to catch on, "That makes sense."

She gave me a small smile. "Well, I can tell you're hungry. Make me proud, Connor Stoll."

"You can count on me, Ma'am!" I waved my hand to end the connection and turned off the sink I had been using. A little boy about five years old was staring at me from the door.

"Sup, kid." I said, slipping past him, leaving him to stare at me: the boy who talks to sinks.

I ran over to a nearby truck that was selling food, and ordered three hot dogs, three containers of fries, and three water bottles. After doing some combining of food and balancing of trays, I made my way back to the two hungry teenagers sitting under a tree.

Katie had a smudge of blue showing on her jaw and Travis had a bleeding scrape on his shoulder.

I didn't ask.

We ate in silence, all three of us starved. It was only after I finished and let out a loud burp that I excused myself to use my cell phone.

Three Dracaena, two Hellhounds, and fat guy.

Those are the monsters that decided to show up after I used my phone to prank call some random number (It was quite fun, actually. I acted like the girl on the other end was my ex and that I wanted her back. It probably would've worked better if she hadn't recently broken up with a guy named Joe…).

They appeared out of the trees behind us, teeth bared and eyes filled to the brim with hunger.

For us.

I'm not saying they were hard to beat. We just looked pretty weird fighting three 'women' and two 'large dogs' in the middle of a park. Especially since one of us resembled a blueberry more than a demigod. In the end, we only had a few minor cuts and scrapes, and a cranky Katie.

"I'm sweating like mad, Travis, do you see this?"

Travis, trying hard not to laugh at her, not very attractive looking, face, just looked at her sleazily.

"I think you look hot, Kate."

Her face perked up a little.

"Slightly more literal than it sounds, though."

Her lips went back into a scowl and we filed into the hotel. We walked up to our rooms. Katie took the smaller of the two and Travis and I fought over who got the bed. Eventually, I got the king (booyah!), and called the front desk to deliver a cot. After Katie reapplied some of her make-up, prank ruin-er stuff, we walked down to the restaurant where we decided to get our dinner. After filling up our plates, we chose a table for three and discussed the 'quest.'

"What do you think that attack in the park meant?" Katie asked, stabbing a bite of chicken with her fork.

Travis snorted. "Dolos doesn't like us."

Being the great actor I am, I suggested, "Maybe he wants us to get out of here. I bet the necklace is hidden somewhere nearby!"

"I suppose." said Kaite. "You know, it's really too bad you can't remember the prophecy. It would really help us at a time like this."

I grinned. "Woops."

"Well," began Connor, "Where should we go next?"

Nobody answered.

"Let's just decide tomorrow." I suggested, finally. Everybody agreed.

We finished the rest of our meal in a hungry silence.

Because of the three hour time difference (and the energy wasting monster attack) we were all dead tired by the time we shoveled the last bite into our hungry little mouths. We grabbed a quick brownie dessert before heading back up to our rooms to sleep.

_**Katie's POV… Yes, her again. Suck it up.**_

After a quick goodnight to Connor and Travis, I slipped my key card into the door of my room. The dinner had actually been a little enjoyable, no name calling, or anything. Travis hadn't even called me 'Kate Pate' on our way to bed. He actually called me Katie! It occurred to me that I hadn't commented on Connor's muscles like Dolos had told me to.

_Oh well._ I thought. It felt good to be rebellious.

I turned the knob and slipped inside, groaning when I saw an extra cot sitting there against the wall by the door. Connor must've given the desk guy _my _room number by accident. Deciding to worry about it later, I flipped the lock that connected our two rooms (Connor had suggested it in case something happened and somebody was still asleep) before rummaging around in my backpack for my pajamas.

I grabbed them and my toothbrush and walked into the bathroom.

It was a really nice hotel, actually. The rooms were really pretty. The color scheme was all sorts of greens with a little pink mixed in. It reminded me of –

My thoughts were cut off as I heard a loud clang from outside the bathroom door. I went quiet for a minute, quickly pulling my tank top the rest of the way over my head and slipping my underwear on. My stomach dropped as I heard another, not as loud, noise, and a grunt. My heart started hammering and my mind couldn't help but jump to the possibility of Dolos coming to kill me for not doing what he'd ordered. I grabbed the closest thing to me – a toilet plunger – and creaked open the door to the bathroom.

At first, I didn't see anyone. The bed was normal as ever, and so was the couch. I closed the door to the bathroom and screamed.

Somebody was on the other side of the door.

**Predictable, I know. I had to do **_**something **_**cheesy.**


	6. Fire!

**Hey! I'm back. I'm going to be posting a lot less often because of school, but I'll try to make the chapters longer to make up for it. Read on!**

_**Katie's POV**_

**Fire**

"Travis? What the Hades are you doing in here?"

He probably tried to answer but was laughing so hard he couldn't get out more than a squeak.

"Travis!" I exclaimed angrily.

"I'm sorry, man." he gasped. "I'm sorry." He wiped a few tears from his eyes and turned to me for a second.

Then, he cracked up all over again.

"Get out!" I snarled through my teeth.

"I'm sorry!" he claimed once more, pushing me away.

"It's just not,"

He giggled,

"Every day that,"

He chuckled a little,

"You see."

He snorted and burst into a fit of chuckles.

"Spit it out, Stoll." I demanded.

He wiped his eyes with his sleeve again and took a deep breath. "I was saying, that it's not every day that you see a blue faced daughter of Demeter, standing there holding a toilet plunger up like a baseball bat, and screaming like a banshee."

He burst out laughing once more and, thanks to training, I punched him square in the jaw where I knew it would hurt.

"Ouchee!" he exclaimed holding his face.

Sadly I wasn't strong enough to make it _really _hurt.

"Get out." I stated for the second time, the red of my face probably showing through the blue.

He held his hands up in defense before grabbing his cot from behind the door, and making his way past an angry daughter of Demeter with her arms crossed and her foot tapping, over to the door that separated our rooms; chortling to himself the whole way.

"Goodnight, my beautiful Kate Pate." he announced with a bow. "May you have dreams of princesses and ponies and rainbows, and, may I just say, that I do _love _your monkey underpants."

He ran out of the room before I could murder him.

"So much for having a great night." I sighed, listening to his laughter through the wall.

I stared at my angry blue reflection in the mirror and felt a shudder of determination go through me.

"I'll get that idiot back, is all I can say."

_**Connor's POV**_

I bet you're wondering where I was this whole time that Travis and Katie were having their fun. Well, I was in the bathroom once again, being Lord Sink Man and conjuring up a rainbow under the shiny gold faucet. Aphrodite was watching Tratie (that's what she calls them) on her TV and was feeding me info about what was going on. Every now and then I would hear them though the door and through the TV on the other side of the IM. I was surprised nobody had come to our room to complain yet.

"We're geniuses." sighed Aphrodite, turning back to me.

"We are." I agreed. I heard the sound of Travis laughing his butt off and the door to our rooms being closed so I lowered my voice. "What should we do next?"

Aphrodite paused, her bright green eyes sparkling as she thought. "Hmm, well, it seems to me like they have this whole love/hate relationship going on pretty well, huh? Making fun of each other and all."

"Agreed."

"But, in order to get them together as a couple, we need to lean them more towards 'love,' don't you think?"

I nodded. "We need to find a way to make it so that they are _forced_ to be romantic. Then, maybe they'll realize that they do, in fact, like each other."

"Yes, yes." nodded Aphrodite, an evil smile on the corners of her beautiful lips. Gods, they were bright. None of my girlfriends had ever had lips that bri-"

"Connor, darling."

"Right!" I exclaimed, probably a little too loudly. I forgot she could read my mind.

"What's that, bro?" Travis called from the bedroom

I gulped. I was a terrible liar. "Uh, nothing man." I claimed. "Just singing a rap song… Eminem… Yeah!"

"Whatever," I heard Travis mutter under his breath.

I smiled weakly, proud of my temporary skill.

"I've got to go." I whispered to Aphrodite after I was sure he wasn't listening. "I promise I'll try to come up with a way be matchmaker."

Aphrodite grinned. "I love you, Connor."

I blushed. "Er – thanks – that's… Nice of you." I winced at how stupid I sounded.

"You're not stupid." Aphrodite said, making my face even redder.

"Goodnight." I mumbled after a moment.

She laughed. "Goodnight Connor dear."

_**Katie's POV**_

I woke up in the middle of the night, being shaken awake by two annoying sons of Hermes.

"What do you want?" I grumbled, throwing a pillow at one.

"_Umff_!" The dirty blonde fell down on his butt.

The other rolled his eyes. "Katie, there's a fire in our room!" Travis yelled, "I don't know how you did it, but you slept though the alarm!"

I yawned. "Yeah right, Stoll; like I believe a prankster like you." I kicked him off of me and leaned back against my pillow.

"Get-Up-Now." Connor demanded as he got up, throwing the pillow back at me but missing. "We're serious." he said." Do you hear that blaring noise?"

I listened carefully and, sure enough, the annoying shrieking of the fire alarm was shocking my head. I hadn't heard it before because I had still been half asleep. But I was wide awake now.

The loud noise was finally beginning to register in my head and something in my brain was screaming _Danger! Danger!_ Smelling smoke, I jumped off my bed and grabbed my pants from on top of my backpack. Travis and Connor tried to hurry me along but ended up just getting on my nerves.

"Come on, Katie! Come on, Katie!"  
>"Shut up!"<p>

"Hurry!"

"I'm hurrying!"

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and followed them out the door. Other people in the hotel were running around frantically, counting their kids and trying to get all of their belongings. One man was balancing his laptop in one hand and his suitcase in the other, while talking on his cell phone.

"There's a fire!" he yelled to the person on the other line.

I grabbed Travis and Connor's hands and took off towards the staircase. I accidentally bumped into a plump woman doing her makeup in a tiny mirror.

"Watch it, brat, there's a line!" she growled, touching up her lipstick.

The first few firemen were walking the hallways, trying to get people as far away from Connor and Travis's room as possible.

"How did you manage to blow up your room?" I asked, taking a step forward as the long line inched forward.

Connor shook his head. "I have no earthly idea. We heard the smoke alarm, got rained on by those stupid good for nothing sprinklers, and got the heck out of there."

"_And we didn't waste time putting on pants_." Travis emphasized.

He was trying to make me feel bad for taking extra time, but I ended up just laughing at the sight of him and his brother in matching boxer shorts.

"Dollar signs. Really guys?" They blushed in a twin-like way and turned away from me.

As Travis turned, I noticed a long, raw looking, red mark on his arm.

"What's that?" I asked him, pointing to it.

He looked down. "What? Oh, uh… Nothing, don't worry about it." he pressed his fingers on the skin next to it and winced.

"Travis." I took a step closer, and picked up and examined his arm.

I was no kid of Apollo, but the burn did not look good.

It spread from the bone next to his elbow down to his wrist, and the skin around it was a bright pink. Travis, although not crying out, appeared to be holding his breath.

"How did you get this?" I asked putting his arm back against his side.

He shrugged. "I think the fire first started next to me. It touched my arm before the alarms went off."

I grimaced.

"Don't worry about it." he insisted. "Really, it didn't start hurting too bad until now." He stared at me with those grey-blue eyes of his. "Honest."

I bit my lip and placed my hand on his shoulder. I was about to mutter something to make him feel better when a voice behind us yelled,

"Hey blue face! Get your rump down those stairs before we all burn and rot in Hell!"

It was the cell phone man. I turned back to the staircase and pulled Travis and Connor (Travis by his good arm) down the stairs. When we got to the bottom, police ushered us through the front doors, and out to where the large group of hotel guests were standing in their pajamas.

We parked ourselves down on a curb and I let the brothers look through my bag to see what we had left.

As they named the few items in good condition, I thought about what had happened during the night.

Dolos had come to me, as usual, but this time he was infuriated.

His stringy brown hair was sweaty and his plump hands were shaking.

"You did not to my bidding, Katie Gardner." he hissed through clenched teeth.

I sleep-gulped (if that's possible) and stared at him. "That's right." I answered, trying to summon up courage. "You're not in control of me, Dolos."

Instead of growling like I thought he would, he curled his thin lips into an evil sneer.

"Is that right, Katie Gardner?" he asked. "You don't have to do what I say because _I'm not in control of you_." he laughed. "Well. Let's see if you still think that after what I put you through tonight."

He laughed once more, like a villain in a superhero movie, and his image started to fade into Thalia's Pine at Camp Half-Blood.

"It is one o' clock." Dolos informed me. "You have three hours to comment on Connor's muscles before I bring about something even worse than what you are about to experience."

I shut my mouth up tight and refused to meet his black ugly eyes.

"Three hours!" he screamed as his image went away and I was left dreaming about capture the flag once more.

"Oh, lord, no." I muttered to myself.

"Something wrong, Princess?" Travis asked, except his voice sounded more strained than usual.

"Nothing's wrong." I said turning. "Holy moly, Travis, why are you sweating so much?"

I stared at his sopping brow and shiny face. Perspiration was practically dripping off his chin.

"It's just a little hot." he answered wiping his face.

I noticed he used his left hand.

"Travis, it's about sixty five degrees and you're in boxer shorts." I stared at him, concerned. "Is your arm okay?"

He stared at me blankly, obviously debating on whether or not to tell the truth. "No." he finally sighed.

I tried to figure out some way to help him, but my mind was blank. Connor searched through the backpack for a first aid kit but only found a small canteen of nectar.

"Here." he poured a few drips onto Travis's arm, but insisted upon using the rest of the unsubstantial amount of liquid in case of a worse injury. "Hey Katie, what time is it?" he asked, slipping the canteen back into my backpack.

I checked my watch. "2:08." My mind couldn't help but realize that I only had about fifty minutes to comments on Connor's muscles before Dolos 'brought about something even worse than what I was about to experience.'

I wasn't stupid, I knew that Dolos was the reason the fire started in the first place. How else would it start right next to Travis's arm?

I looked over at the raw red mark and the pained facial expression on the boy's face and felt a stab of guilt. It was my fault that Travis was burned and all the belongings he brought got lost. If I had just commented on Connor's muscles-

_No Katie, _said a voice inside my head. _Don't go there. You are strong. Don't let Dolos boss you around like this. Show him that you are in control of your own body_.

At this I held my chin up higher and decided that no matter what, I was not going to comment on Connor's muscles.

And oh what a mistake that was.

**Haha! I'm so mean…**


	7. Stupid, Stupid, Isabel

**I know, I know, it's been practically years. I'm sorry. School is stupid and it's interfering with my fanfiction writing so bleh… Lol! So anyway, I won't be posting too often. Sorry!  
><strong>

_**Connor's POV**_

I began to felt the headache after we left the hotel.

Well, it was more escaping than leaving, really. The police were trying to find us and we knew that having them involved would postpone our whole quest. So, we left the hotel and set off on a hike through the small set of woods nearby. California isn't known for its trees, so we could still see the lights of the city through the leaves. Regardless, the sun was gone by now and we were as hidden as we would ever be.

"What time is it, Katie?" I asked, rubbing my temples. My headache was beginning to get worse.

"2:59" she answered. Her voice cracked on the last number and if the circumstances had been different, I would've laughed.

We walked for about another minute until suddenly, I let out a gasp.

At first I thought someone had snuck up behind us and shot me in the head. A spurt of pain shocked my brain so suddenly that I didn't have time to prepare. I fell onto the ground.

"Oh my gods!" I yelled, collapsing to my knees. Even as a demigod I had never experience pain like that. It felt as if someone had taken a nail and shoved it into my head. And every few seconds they would hammer it in deeper. "Make it stop!" I screamed. Everything around me began to blur and I felt like my eyes were melting out of my head. I was barely conscious of Katie running to comfort me and Travis taking off through the trees to find some sort of help. Katie mumbled something that I couldn't hear. At first I was confused, but then suddenly…"

_**Kaite's POV**_

I knew I was in trouble when Connor fell to the ground, right when my watch struck 3:00.

"Oh, Dolos." I groaned as Connor dropped down on the dirt.

"He's doing this?" Travis asked, his voice scared.

"Yes." I said. "Go get, help. I'll try to figure out what's wrong."

He ran off in the direction we had come from, stumbling over roots and small woodland animals.

"Connor!" I bent down next him.

He had his hands clutching his head and was rocking back and forth. His teeth were clenched and his eyes were practically closed as he yelled, "Make it stop!"

I felt my eyes begin to well with tears as I realized what I had to do.

It wasn't the fact that I had to do it; it was the fact that I had no choice. The fact that Dolos was controlling me like I were one of those cars with remotes. He could make me do nearly anything, and I had no choice. Gritting my teeth, trying to keep the tears back, I said softly,

"Connor, you have really big muscles."

And everything went silent.

_**Travis's POV**_

I ran back to the forest, pulling the hand of the girl who was going to help us. Thank the gods my terrible sense of direction didn't decide to act up. I found Connor sitting against a tree trunk drinking water, with Katie right next to him.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked, trying to catch my breath.

Connor nodded slowly, swallowing a gulp of water. "It was the weirdest thing. It started out of nowhere and ended the same way."

"It was really creepy." Katie added.

I looked over at her but she refused to meet my eyes. Something in her expression told me she knew something we didn't.

"Who's that?" she asked, trying to get my attention away from her secretive, blue face.

I had nearly forgotten about the girl who I had found in the streets who claimed she could help.

"This is uh…"

"Isabel." she stated, stepping up from behind me. "My dad's a doctor so I thought I could help." She pulled her had out of a grip I didn't know I had on her, and knelt next to Connor.

"How do you feel now?"

She asked him some simple questions and we determined in the end that nobody had any clue what had happened to him.

"Everything seems normal." she reported. "But I'm not a professional so you should probably take a trip to a hospital." she paused. "You too, Travis, that burn on your arm doesn't look too great."

We all said 'no' at the same time.

"How come?" Isabel asked.

"We're kind of in the middle of something." I explained. "We can't postpone it more than a day, plus, hospitals cost money."

Isabel looked each of us over once before concluding, "You guys are demigods."

I gasped.

How would she know? When I had found her she had seemed like a typical, hot, teenaged girl (and no, the hot part wasn't the reason I chose her… Really!). She had dark hair that went slightly past her shoulders, and big brown eyes with a little bit of eyeliner. Her eyelids sparkled with something pretty and I had to blush when she caught me staring at her.

"How did you know?" Katie sighed, eventually.

She smiled, "I met a demigod before. I saw her fighting a dracaena and asked her about it afterwards. She explained everything to me, and told me that I could see through the mist. Ever since then I've researched and loved Greek mythology."

"Sweet" said Connor. His cheeks were beginning to regain their color.

"We should probably get going." Katie announced. We need to find a place to camp for the night."

"You can come to my house." Isabel piped up. "My dad's gone for the week so nobody will know?"

"What about your mom." I asked.

"They divorced last year." she said with a sigh.

"Oh." I said stupidly.

We thanked Isabel and followed her back out of the woods. My arm was still stinging like mad but I had figured out a way to ignore the pain. We stepped out onto the lit sidewalks of California and made our way past a busy intersection, around a few creepy looking people and towards a secluded little house with sky blue walls and navy shutters. It seemed a little quaint and out of place in a large place like California, but it was cute, nonetheless. She pulled out a key from around her neck and jammed it into the door, giving the wood an extra shove before it finally opened to reveal a nice place.

"Pretty." Katie muttered, looking around.

I had to agree. There was a small couch, a set of chairs surrounding a fireplace, and a TV. In the back was a kitchen table and a small dining area. A hallway branched off the right, and I assumed it led to the bedrooms.

"Connor, Katie, you guys can take that room." she pointed to one with a sign on the door reading "_Love_."

Katie and Connor blushed before grabbing Katie's backpack and walking in to the room.

"Sorry Travis, you'll have to share a room with me."

"It's fine." I said, probably a little too quickly.

She smiled, watching my face go red and her eyelids sparked even more against the light. I couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked standing in the half darkness, a spotlight practically aimed at her face.

"I'll set your mattress up." she said after a long moment of silence.

I swallowed, smiled, and followed her into her room.

_**Katie's POV**_

This whole thing was a setup.

Isabel _knew _that I was being dared to flirt with Connor. Why else would she decide to put us in a room with one bed? She was insane and a devil and I did _not _want her turning Travis into one of her minions. I was thankful for her house, no doubt, but I couldn't help but feel anger towards the girl for putting me in such an awkward position. And, Dolos wasn't making things any better.

"Hello there, Katie." he swooned, his ugly face appearing like usual.

I groaned and images of me kicking him repeatedly in the stomach were thrust into my brain.

"Now, don't think like that." Dolos insisted, wagging his finger at me like I was a disobedient child.

"Since when can you read my mind?' I asked angrily.

"For quite some time." he admitted. "And, for long enough for me to learn your fatal flaw."

I felt the color drain out of my face. If Dolos really knew my fatal flaw, then I was practically screwed.

"Do you really?" I asked painfully.

He shrugged. "Why should I answer to you? And anyway, we've got more to talk about."

I listened reluctantly as he gave me my next assignment.

"You need to hold Connor's hand sometime. If you haven't completed this task by the time I see you next, then wow," he chortled, "You will not be a happy camper."

I grimaced, sick of his bossiness. "Please Dolos," I pleaded, "Don't make me do this!"

He just shook his head. "Truth or Dare, Katie Gardener. Or, should I say, Dare or Death!"

He laughed evilly at his play on teenaged games, and disappeared into a column of flame.

**Dun dun duuunnn!**


	8. Pancakes and Broken Chairs

**I'm alive! I'm alive! And, here is the next chapter. Warning, it's pretty short, but I'm on winter break so I might be able to post another. Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Have a happy holiday!**

_**Katie's POV**_

I woke up the next morning to a pillow in the face.

The clock on the rickety bedside table read nine in the morning, yet the Stolls were already dressed and ready to continue our quest. My nose was still throbbing as I whacked them each upside the head with another pillow.

"Feisty much?" Travis questioned, raising one eyebrow.

I threw another pillow at his head before heading toward the minuscule bathroom to put on my obscene amounts of cover up. When I emerged, Connor was occupying the other small bathroom and Travis and Isabel were working on breakfast. From my perch in the hallway it smelled like pancakes. I was about to walk in and ask when we were heading out, but then I heard Isabel giggle.

"You are too funny, Travis!"

I took a few steps forward so I could peer around the corner and see him smirk.

"Thanks!"

_Thanks_. I thought in my head. _That's the best he could come up with? Whenever he talks to me he comes back with something sarcastic and snidely_.

They laughed some more and I felt my blood boil.

Isabel's giggling suddenly got quieter and I breathed a sigh of relief. My victory was short lived, however.

"So Travis. I kinda wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, Izzy, what's up?"

I pretended not to hear his new nickname for her.

"Well," she cleared her throat. "I know you're a demigod and all, and I know you don't have much time for mortals like me, but I really enjoyed our talk last night…"

They talked.

All alone.

While I was stuck sleeping next to a drooling, kicking, sleep talking dork.

"So, anyways, Travis. I was just sorta wondering if-"

I couldn't take it any longer. That beauty queen was not going to take my man – I mean, distract Travis from my quest. Uh uh, no way.

"Hey guys, how's breakfast coming?" I asked, interrupting her in mid-sentence.

Travis shot me a disappointed look, but he seemed to buy that I had no idea what had been going on between the two of them.

Isabel sighed before putting on a fake smile and saying, "Pancakes."

I grinned and walked over to the kitchen table, plopping down on one of the chairs.

Bad idea.

The thing was so old and weak that the chair leg broke off and I fell backwards onto the floor.

"Katie!" I heard someone yell.

"Ouch." I said from the ground, not bothering to try and get up.

Both of the Stolls came over to help, trying their best not to giggle. Isabel was snickering behind her hand. I gave her a glare and she turned around to get a few burnt pancakes of the griddle.

"Are you okay, Katie?" Connor asked, trying not to smile. He still had a little bit of shaving cream on his chin. He noticed me looking at it and blushed.

"I, uhh, heard the thump and came running out of the bathroom." he smiled sheepishly. "Hehe…"

Travis shook his head and laughed. Both of the brothers held their hands up to help me up. If they had been right next to each other, I would've grabbed both of their hands, but they were both on opposite sides of me. They stared at me expectantly, and it suddenly became a contest between them: _Who would Katie choose?_

I bit my lip, trying to decide what to do. If I took Connor's hand then my dare from Dolos would be done for the day. But then Travis would be hurt and would run right to Isabel. Not that I cared, really. He just… She just… I just… Nevermind.

"Oomph!" joked Connor as he pulled me up.

As soon as I was up, I punched him on the shoulder and walked over to another seat at the table. I was too ashamed to look at Travis.

**Travis's POV**

It didn't bug me that Katie chose Connor.

I mean, really! Why should it.

It's not like either of us knew her any better than the other.

It was a pure choice of reasoning.

Connor was on her left and she's left handed so it probably felt more natural.

I _think _she's left handed.

But, whatever, it doesn't matter.

Katie's just a friend; I don't need to worry about it.

I nodded, sort of agreeing with myself, and walked over to the other side of the table. Isabel pulled up another chair from the living room and sat down next to me. Luckily, she seemed to understand how much a group of demigods could eat and had made extra pancakes. We gobbled them up like we hadn't eaten in a year, and soon we were packing up our things to leave.

I was shoving a couple things into my backpack when Isabel entered the room. I heard her footsteps behind me and grimaced, realizing I didn't have time to hide what I was doing.

"Stealing my candy, Travis, really?"

"I uhh…" I begged my mind to come up with something decent. "I needed something to remember you by! Like, a souvenir or something. You understand, right?"

Isabel gave me a disapproving look before finally giving up and laughing.

"Travis, you are insane."

I laughed as well, and she helped me get my things (including the candy – yes!). We met Connor and Katie in the kitchen. Connor was standing by the sink, and Katie was behind him, looking flustered. I recognized Chiron's strong voice and dropped my backpack.

"What's going on?" I asked, walking over to them.

Isabel followed me.

"Hello, Travis." Chiron said from the other side of the IM. "I have some disturbing news."

"Yes?" we all asked in unison.

"Rachel sprouted a prophecy." he told us. And then he looked right at Connor and said, "A _real _one."

**I hope you liked it! I'll try to post again soon. Thanks for all your reviews!**


	9. What Happens in LA Stays in LA

**!**

**I feel awful for not posting for so long, I've been really busy with schoolwork and other stupid things. I promise I haven't died! And now, to make it up to you all I have an extra-long chapter. But, just in case you forgot, here's a summary of what's happened so far:**

Summary:

Travis and Connor dye Katie's face blue. She needs to kiss Travis in order to make it go away. Aphrodite assigns Connor to the task of getting Travis and Katie together. Connor takes them on a fake quest (retrieve Aphrodite's necklace from the spirit of trickery – Dolos) to try to make them like each other. Meanwhile, in her dreams, Katie is being visited by the minor god himself (Dolos). He keeps telling her to do flirty things to Connor. If she doesn't do them, he punishes her (EX: he set their hotel room on fire and gave Connor a searing headache). The three of them meet the pretty mortal girl Isabel who gets along very well with Travis… A little too well for Katie's liking. Now, Chiron just told the whole group through an IM that Rachel sprouted a real prophecy.

**There we go! Now here's the super long chapter!**

_**Connor's POV**_

I felt my face go red as Chiron turned to look at me, his brown irises full of disapproval. I averted my eyes towards the ground as Katie and Travis both began questioning me. After a couple moments, Chiron cleared his throat.

"Katie, Travis, I'm sure Connor will explain what's going on, but first I'd like to have a chat with him… Privately." he added after a second.

They both reluctantly left the room and I heard a door close. I had a feeling, however, that they'd be straining their ears, trying to listen.

"Chiron, please understand," I said in a harsh whisper, "I had no choice! Aphrodite came to me and Rachel with a plan to get Travis and Katie together and she promised us a reward in the end, which I'd be happy to give to you if it could possibly change your mind…"

"That will not be necessary, Connor." he stated, raising a palm to quiet me. "I am not interested in this 'fake quest' you and Aphrodite have conjured, but more the actual quest that Rachel has presented to us." He recited the poem;

"_Trickery and chaos has shelter to hide_

_Where hundreds of devils, not angels, reside_

_The smell of betrayal, a hint of chagrin_

_ A last minute switch, and a trick with a pin._

_ A god with a mission will finish their task,_

_ Revealing a hero proclaimed and unmasked."_

"That doesn't sound too terrible." I supposed. "Proclaiming a hero is always a good thing."

Chiron nodded. "It does not sound too dreadful but, then again, we have never had an unproblematic quest." His image seemed to ripple for a second and I knew the IM would begin to fade soon.

"Thank you for the message." I said to him, copying the lines down on a random piece of scratch paper I found on the kitchen counter and shoving the page in my pack.

"Good luck." was all Chiron could get out before the image flickered once and faded into the air like mist.

**Katie's POV**

I furiously blinked my eyelids, trying not to fall asleep. The purr of the bus engine was making me tired, but I couldn't afford to drift off. We were on a bus making our way to Los Angeles. Why LA? Why else?

Isabel.

Alright, well, it's not as bad I'm making it sound. We couldn't come up with anywhere else to go and for some _strange _reason (_ehem_ – Travis – _ehem_) Isabel wanted to tag along. It didn't take us long to realize that she could see through the mist, and she claimed she saw a trail of mysterious light leading towards the city.

When we had been allowed back into the kitchen Connor read us the prophecy and explained to us how the quest had not been real, _exactly. _Aphrodite had visited Connor in an IM and told him that her necklace was missing. She explained how she didn't think that Rachel would sprout a prophecy about such a seemingly small issue, so she promised both of them a reward if they told Chiron Rachel had given one, when really, she hadn't. We were still after Dolos and the necklace, this time it was just… Official.

But Connor avoided our eyes the whole day and he spoke in such a soft voice, that I had a feeling he was leaving something out. As my mind went through all of the possible secrets he could be keeping, I made the mistake of letting my eyelids flicker shut and soon I was staring into the sour, sweaty face of my favorite god.

"I must compliment you, Katie," Dolos began. He was sitting on the ground against what appeared to be a jail cell, running a knife under his long, grey nails, occasionally flicking a piece of dirt onto the ground. "I never would've thought you to be so clever with the way you grabbed Connor's hand. Really, I applaud your innovation." he rubbed his fingers together, scowling as the brown speck stuck to his nail.

"What do you want this time, Dolos?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, nothing much. Your mission is this: Put your arm around Connor, sometime today, or else you will face certain punishment. What punishment, you ask? See, I've been thinking it over all day… Tell me which you would prefer; disgorging your eyeballs with an ice cream scoop, or removing each of your teeth using a handy-dandy tool I like to call…"

As Dolos droned on I took a mental picture of the room he was in. The walls were a dull grey and behind the god was a barred room. I felt like I should recognize it, but I just couldn't place it. Suddenly it occurred to me.

Percy had told us stories about somewhere similar – a jail that was being used to hold monsters. He warned us of a demon, a powerful one who came close to killing him. I couldn't remember what the name of the place was, but as soon as I did, I would tell everyone and we'd be on our way to get the necklace. Now, if I could only contact Percy…

I felt a smile slowly creep across my lips and Dolos frowned.

"Does that one actually sound appealing to you? I never thought that having your innards consumed by five thousand and seven white mice would be anything but absolutely repulsive, but if you're an animal person then I suppose…"

"No, no, it sounds awful, don't worry."

"Lovely. Now, off you go, I've got things to tend to." As if on cue, something hissed nearby, and Dolos looked up.

"_I'm hungry, Massster…"_ It spoke cacophonously, causing shivers to ripple up my spine.

"I'll get you something, my dear Ms. K." Dolos replied quickly. He gulped and gave a feeble smile, though I noticed a thin trickle of blood running down his finger from where the knife had nicked his skin.

"Can I go now?" I asked, while mentally taking a picture of the setting to describe to Percy later.

"Yes you may." Dolos said, turning his attention back to me. "But I better see your arm around that boy before the sun goes down unless the mice plan sounds attractive to you."

"Yes, sir." I said with a fake sigh. For some reason I was too happy knowing that I had a lead on him to worry about how I was going to get my arm around Connor.

Dolos smiled. "I think you are beginning to learn of my power, Katie Gardner. I can see it in your eyes."

"It's true, sir," I lied. "I won't fight you anymore."

"Wonderful." With a flourish of a bleeding hand and a jab with a knife, I was back on the bus being shaken awake by Connor.

"We're here." he told me in the same quiet voice he had been using all day.

Looking out at Venice beach with all of the happy people throwing Frisbees, building sandcastles, or jumping over ocean waves, I felt a wave of happiness wash over me. Things weren't going too badly; we had a lead on Dolos even though I wasn't sure how I was going to tell the others, and once we got Aphrodite's stupid necklace Isabel would go home, the Stolls and I would return to camp, I'd kiss Travis and my face would turn back to normal, Travis would realize he loved me and take me into his arms and… Yeah, life would be good.

Or so I assumed.

Who would've known that my entire perception could change so quickly?

**Connor's POV**

"You think _what?_" Aphrodite's voice rose an octave after that last sentence, making my ears ring.

I gulped. "I said, I think that Travis likes Isabel and Katie likes… Well, me."

"I heard you!" she shouted. I was staring at her angry figure, pacing back and forth inside, what appeared to be, her bedroom. I was alone in our hotel room – the other three were downstairs playing around in a cool arcade we had discovered earlier – but I was still worried I'd alarm some of our neighbors.

"Shh! Ma'am, please, I can fix this."

She stopped her pacing and stared angrily at me, which was honestly worse than the yelling. "I'm trusting you, Stoll." she spat. I swear the tips of her red hair were on fire. "I'm trusting you to fix this. Travabel? Isavis? What kind of names are those? It's Tratie._ Tratie_!" she stomped her foot.

"Don't worry, Ms. Aphrodite, I can make things better! I'll talk to Katie today and we'll work something out. Maybe I can strike a deal with her." I thought back to how Katie had acted earlier. I had been staring off into space glumly, thinking about how the heck I was going to break the news to Aphrodite, and Katie had put her arm around me. She had meant to be comforting but it just made me feel worse, knowing how much harder my job was going to be.

I doubted she would make a deal with me.

Apparently Aphrodite thought the same thing. "That won't do." she insisted. "Just tell her you don't have feelings for her. Be mean – the harsher the better. The harder you come down on her, the quicker she'll run to Travis." She nodded, a thin smile beginning to form on her lips. "Yeah… I like that… Do that, Colin."

"It's Connor." I corrected… she should've known that by now.

"Yeah, yeah, same thing." she giggled.

I cleared my throat. "I kinda need to go. If I'm going to 'break up' with Katie, I need to do it sooner rather than later."

"Of course, of course, run on ahead." she smiled. "Mission Tratie for Launch." That set her into a fit of giggles and as the IM faded I was left listening to the echo of her girly little snorts. I didn't find them so cute anymore.

**Katie's POV**

I dragged my feet along the floor of the arcade, trailing along behind Isabel and Travis. They had barely stopped laughing once since Connor had left, and Isabel's high pitched cackling was beginning to sound like nails on a chalkboard. We were waiting in line for a skeet ball machine, and Travis was telling Isabel a story of the time he got his fist stuck in a peanut butter jar.

"And then my mom almost tried hitting it with a hammer before Connor pointed out – Oh, hey Connor."

Sure enough, his brother had appeared behind me before I'd noticed. I felt a jolt of anger go through me as I thought about what had happened earlier. I had managed to put my arm around Connor fairly inconspicuously while we were in a taxi, driving to our hotel. After we made it to the hotel, Travis suggested we get some rest before dinner. Despite my nap on the bus, I managed to take a little snooze and, during so, got my next assignment from the lovely Dolos.

"Kiss him on the cheek."

"Excuse me?" I choked on my own spit and sent myself into a coughing fit.

He laughed. "You heard me. In fact, I'm going to make it even harder; you have to do it before 12:01 tonight…" I hadn't had time to talk to Percy yet, maybe that was for the better. He was still in the jail-like place and this time I got a slightly better view.

There was at least one, if not more than one, rows of jail cells. They were all dark, but I could see the faint shadows of things moving around in them and, periodically, I'd see a pair of ugly black eyes. When I woke up I felt as if they were still on me.

"Hey guys," Connor greeted. A fake smile was plastered to his face. "Sorry to kick you out of line, but do you think I could talk to Katie for a minute… Privately." He added.

"Of course!" Isabel said jumping out of the way. "Actually, Travis and I are gonna head back a little early so we can get fully rested for our big day tomorrow."

"Alright, see ya."

They strode out of the arcade, still laughing at some awful blonde joke Travis told.

The girl in front of us finished the game and I reached over to drop a quarter in the slot.

"I got it." Connor insisted, pulling a coin out of his pocket. The balls fell from the little compartment and he picked one up tossing it back and forth in his hands."

"I'm sorry." Connor and I suddenly blurted at the same time. We both started laughing.

"It's okay." I told him. "But why are you sorry?"

He stretched out his arm and released the ball allowing it to roll into the ten point slot. "I guess I just feel awful for you because I know how stressful this whole quest has been for you."

I lifted a ball and tried to angle my arm right. "It's not you, or Travis, really," I rolled the ball and was satisfied when it landed in the twenty point slot. "It's mostly-"

"Isabel." he finished for me. "I knew the second I saw you look at each other that we had a problem."

I decided against telling him the real name I had meant to say, and stepped back, allowing him to remove another ball. "Did I really make it that obvious?" I asked after a moment.

"It was obvious to me."

He turned to look at me.

"Katie, you know how much I like you. I love goofing off with you and watching you get mad when we dye your face blue and all, but I miss the way things used to be." He threw the ball and frowned when it also landed in the twenty point slot.

"I really am sorry, Connor – I don't like what I'm doing."

"You don't have to do this, Katie."

"Yes I do.

"I don't think you understand."

"No, I don't think _you_ understand."

Without realizing it I had lifted a ball in the air threateningly. The kids at the machines around us turned to see if I would throw it. My eyes were brimming with tears of anger, not towards Connor, Travis, or even Isabel, but to the bane of my existence ever since the start of the quest:

Dolos.

Taking a deep breath I turned back to the game and sent the ball down the ramp. It landed in the thirty point slot.

"Nice." he muttered under his breath.

"Thanks."

The other kids turned back to their games and Connor turned back to me.

"Katie, I know you don't believe me, but I _do _understand." he began quietly. "You're jealous of Travis and Isabel, so you're trying to make Travis jealous by flirting with me. It's okay, I'm not angry with you."

"Actually," I began but stopped myself.

I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

Peeping out from behind a corner was a small metallic looking triangle. It glistened in the dim arcade lighting and I felt my stomach drop when I noticed that the tip of the triangle was pointed straight at my chest.

Someone was pointing an arrow at my heart. If I said one wrong thing or gave away one piece of information about Dolos and how he was blackmailing me, I would be dead in a second.

"Actually," I continued after a gulp, "You're exactly right. I'm sorry for raising a skeet ball at you."

He laughed. "Don't worry about it, Kate Pate. But you've still got to beat me."

I looked up just in time to see his ball sail into the one hundred point slot.

"That's one hundred and thirty points." he stated. "You've also got to get it on the hundred point one to beat me." He grinned and I smiled back halfheartedly. The arrow was still notched at my chest.

I slowly made my way over to where the last ball was waiting in its little cubby, conscious that the tip of the arrow was following my every move. I picked up the ball and closed one eye, focusing on the tiny little circle that was the one hundred point slot.

"Hey batter batter…" Connor joked.

I shushed him.

After a couple more moments of careful concentration, I released the ball from my grasp and watched it fly… Right into the ten point slot.

"Oh well." Connor said with a smile. "I guess you'll have to try again, huh?"

I smiled faintly. "I'd love to, but I'm really tired. How about tomorrow instead?"

He looked a little surprised but nodded. "Of course. Goodnight, I'll be up in a few minutes. I'm gonna play one more game."

I said goodbye to Connor before walking back to the elevators. I gave a sigh of relief when I noticed that the person with the arrow had left, and I was free from Dolos until…

"Oh no." I said out loud. I had completely forgotten about Dolos's last assignment.

I had to kiss Connor on the cheek.

I cursed loudly and a mother nearby shot me a glare. I was too distressed to apologize. I stomped into the elevator and shoved my first into my pocket, feeling around for our key card. We were running low on mortal money so we decided it would be the smartest idea to share a room and just take turns on the bed. We had gotten a cot and Isabel brought an air mattress. Tonight, I would be sleeping on the sofa.

The elevator doors opened and I made my way to our room. I slipped the key into the little slit and pulled it out angrily. I turned the doorknob and opened the door. I was surprised to find that the lights were off.

_That's weird_. I thought. _Travis and Isabel must've gone back downstairs_.

I swept my hand along the side of the wall until I felt the light switch and flipped it. What I saw made my blood boil.

Isabel and Travis were sitting together on the bed.

And they were kissing.

No, that's an understatement.

Isabel and Travis – _my _Travis – were making out.

**O.O Stupid Isabel! Anyway, schools almost out so I should be posting more regularly. I still have a lot of finals so it'll be slow for the next 2-3 weeks. I hope that chappie made up for the bazillion months I was gone. Sorry again!**


	10. The Blue Faced Truth

**AHHH! SECOND OR THIRD TO LAST CHAPTER!**

**Prepare for an epic finale, my friends.**

**Anywho, I won't keep you waiting. Read on! (And thanks for all those reviews – they made me happy :D )**

**Chapter 10**

"Ohmygod-Katie!" was the first thing that Travis blurted out when he saw me. I was standing by the door, one fist clenched, and the other still poised on the light switch. My jaw had dropped a couple of feet and I could feel my ears reddening in anger.

"How could you…" I trailed off as I felt my eyes brim with tears and I ran out into the hallway – right into Connor.

"Whoa there, what's going on?" He asked, grabbing me before I could run to the elevator.

"Why don't you ask them? I shouted, trying to get out of his grip. Unluckily for me he had a ton of muscle from who knows how many years of swordfighting. I stopped struggling and settled for just glaring at Isabel.

She was blushing, doing her best not to look into my furious eyes. "I'm sorry, we didn't think she'd be back so quickly."

"Yeah," said Travis, "It was our fault."

Connor seemed to have worked out what happened in his head. He must've felt bad for me because he slowly loosened his grip.

"Whatever," I said, brushing off my arms from where he had squeezed them, "I'm going to bed."

I walked past them in silence and plopped down on the sofa, not even bothering to take off my makeup or put on my pajamas. Isabel followed soon after and walked into the bathroom, her pink toiletry kit in hand. I could hear Travis and Connor arguing in the hallway but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I could only hope that Connor wasn't telling Travis that I liked him. That would make this the most awkward love triangle ever.

"Just go to bed, Travis." I heard Connor tell him as they entered the room. Connor fished around in his suitcase for his toothbrush. Travis just stood like a puppy dog at the doorway, waiting for Isabel to get out of the bathroom.

That night, once everyone was asleep, I just couldn't help it. I burst into tears.

When I was little and I thought about going on a quest, I pictured it full of action and monster killing. I thought I'd be with a group of strong demigods who would treat me with respect and later become my best friends. I never assumed I'd be in such an awkward position – stuck between a rock and a hard place, they call it.

I waited until I was sure everyone was asleep before I got off of the couch and went to complete my dare with Connor for the day. I was still crying when my lips touched his snoring face.

** Connor's POV**

I felt awful for Katie but I couldn't do anything for her. While I wanted to help her, I knew that my brother's relationships were not my problem and if he wanted to ruin Katie's quest I couldn't do anything about it. I tried to tell him to stop sneaking around with Isabel. He was only giving himself a distraction and we needed to focus on the quest itself. He eventually agreed but refused to stop liking her, claiming that they'd pick up as soon as the quest was over. There was nothing I could do.

That night I was so pooped, I fell asleep almost instantly. It wasn't a good sleep, though. I thrashed around so much on that little air mattress I was surprised I didn't put a hole in it. I kept going in and out of dreams – it was very confusing. In fact, there was one point when I thought I felt someone's tears land on my face and the warmth of breath on my cheek.

I could've sworn I heard sniffling.

**Travis's POV**

There are a couple really awful things in life:

Forgetting your homework.

Running out of peanut butter

Stepping on a Lego

But nothing, and I mean _nothing_, compares to walking in between two extremely pissed girls.

Last night was awkward enough, but we all managed to get in another argument this morning. For some reason, Katie woke up with her heart set on visiting that old jail in San Francisco where they now give tours. '_Alcatraz'_ she corrected me when I called it '_Azkaban.'_ I was up for going if it would make Katie feel better, but for some reason Isabel was completely against it.

"I've only been there once, but it's an _awful _place." she told us. "I don't understand why anyone would go by choice. Come on, Katie, don't make us go."

Katie sighed. "Please Isabel? For some reason I just really think that Dolos is there. I don't know why, it's just a feeling in my gut."

"Well if you're going to listen to your _gut_ you're a lot stupider than I thought." she growled. "Which is a pretty large feat." she added quietly, almost to herself.

"Isabel!" I exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Travis." Katie assured me. "I know she's kidding. I've been around stupid people enough to know what they're like." she glared at Isabel who rolled her eyes.

"Well since I can't argue with that _lovely_ comeback I'll just put it plain and simple for you." she stepped towards Katie. "I'm. Not. Going. To. Alcatraz."

Katie just shrugged, a fake smile plastered under her nose. "Oh well, it was nice to meet you. Really our time together was just delightful. Have a nice life." she dropped her smile, spun on her heel and started out of the hotel lobby, only turning back around to say, "Come on boys!" before strutting through the revolving door. Connor turned to give me a look before sighing and following her. Katie had gotten all the way through the door before she turned around and noticed that my feet were still planted next to Isabel's – who was likely grinning like the joker. I knew I was in for it when I could see the redness of her face through the spinning of the door. I didn't have time to blink before she had shoved herself at the revolving door, causing Connor to smack back against the wall as the entire contraption changed direction. Under normal circumstances I would've laughed, but with a hot headed, hunchbacked, smoking eared demigod stalking towards me, I made the smart decision to keep my mouth shut.

"You are _unbelievable!_" she spat, a mere foot and a half from my face. I could see the worry lines that creased her face and the bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. Her cheeks looked almost deflated, as if someone had pricked them with a needle and let all the air seep out. Her brow was lowered on her eyes in fury and if I didn't know her better, I'd say she was about to punch me.

"Look Katie," I began in the most soothing voice I could muster, "Just please understand that I'm stuck in the middle of two girls whose opinions I respect-"

"Oh, don't give me that crap."

I stared at her, my eyes wide like a deer in headlights.

"Excuse me?"

She shook her head. "Don't make excuses for yourself, Stoll. Don't act like you're trying your hardest not to choose a side because it's obvious which team you're rooting for."

"Katie, stop it, you're making this much more difficult than it has to be-"

"Well, of course it's going to be difficult!" she shrieked. "And to think I thought _she _was the stupid one!"

Hearing her rant, the entire lobby had turned to stare at us. A distracted couple didn't notice their toddler riding off on a luggage cart towards a staircase.

I closed my eyes and tried to breathe before turning to the princess herself who had her arms crossed, glaring at me. So many thoughts were whirring around my head; so many possible things to say to her. But I eventually decided on the calmest (and least explicit) retort.

"It doesn't need to be me, you know." I told her, staring at her face, watching at it turned from furious to confused. "For your face." I tried to elaborate. "Anyone can do the deed and get rid of the blue – I only said that it was me because I wanted to annoy you, and I wanted to kiss you."

She snorted. "I knew all along, Stoll, you aren't telling me anything I don't already know."

I laughed but it was a mean laugh I didn't know I was capable of. "Of course you did, Katie. Of course you knew _that_ because you know everything. That's what you are now, an arrogant, _stupid_, know it all!"

She opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. "And you know what? I've changed this past week too – it's not just you. I've learned that women can be jealous and catty and I want nothing of it!" My voice suddenly rose, and whoever hadn't been listening before, turned their heads. "And something else changed in me this week, Katie. Something I didn't think was capable of happening until you traveled the west coast with me for a couple days and changed my mind. I don't want to kiss you anymore. In fact, I am happier than I've ever been about anything that I was lying!" Before she could say anything back, I swept past her and stomped out of the building, barely exchanging looks with my brother who had made it out of the revolving door in time to hear the gist of our fight.

Isabel followed right on my heels but I wasn't in the mood to talk to her. I could feel the tears beginning to fill the rims of my eyelids and she was the last person who I wanted to see me cry.

"Travis, wait." Isabel called, grabbing the door after I purposely let it slam on her face. I tried to quicken my pace, but she had grabbed me by the hand and pulled me into a hug before I could protest. I was too exasperated to struggle and I eventually decided to just stay like that, enveloped in her arms like some sort of sad love letter. I almost hoped that Katie was watching, but I didn't want to think like that. When I eventually pulled away, I shot a glance into the lobby, but the only stares I received were from amused hotel guests. Isabel rubbed her hand along my back.

"Travis," she said quietly. To my surprise, her throat was choked up.

"Yeah?"

"I…" she sniffled, "I think it would be better off for you, or, for us, if I went home for a little while."

"What?" I turned to her, suddenly panic stricken at the thought of being alone with my brother and Katie.

She nodded. "I know you think you need me, but I think you also need some time to work things out with Katie. And," she shrugged, "To be completely honest I could use a break too. God, I don't know how you questers do it. I've never been on a quest and yet even this little adventure seems like one heck of a mess."

I laughed. It was true. Most quests were typically messes.

"Alright." I finally agreed. "But not for a long time, just long enough for Katie and me to clear the air."

"It's a deal." she agreed. "I'll meet you at Alcatraz tomorrow morning. That way you've got all of today to get rid of the tension."

I smiled. "Thank you, Isabel, I mean it."

She smiled. "I need this just as much as you do." Her throat closed on the last word and I watched in surprise as she turned on her heal and sprinted away, tears tumbling down her cheeks.

I had been staring after her, still dumbstruck when Connor came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. Katie was standing behind him, avoiding eye contact.

"Hey, Travis," he said quietly, "We found something I think you should know about."

I stayed where I was.

"I'm not listening to anything you say until she apologizes for starting this stupid fight."

"But she called me stupid!"

"Katie." Connor warned.

"Ugh, fine. I'm sorry I started a fight with your girlfriend, Stoll."

I sighed. It wasn't going to get any more heartfelt than that.

"Come over here." Connor motioned towards a bench. Dropping our packs on the ground, Katie and I plopped down on opposite sides on the bench while Connor fished around in his pocket. He pulled out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and handed it to me.

"This is the prophecy." he told me. "When Chiron read it through the IM I wrote it down on a piece of paper in Isabel's kitchen."

I read through the prophecy wondering if we could make sense of any of the lines yet.

_Trickery and chaos has shelter to hide_

_Where hundreds of devils, not angels, reside_

_The smell of betrayal, a hint of chagrin_

_ A last minute switch, and a trick with a pin._

_ A god with a mission will finish their task,_

_ Revealing a hero proclaimed and unmasked._

Nope, just as mysterious and annoying as ever.

"What did you figure out?" I asked Connor.

"Well," he began, "I didn't realize it at first, but – if you turn it over you'll see – I jotted it down on the back of an envelope."

I turned it over and, sure enough, the flap on the other side had been ripped right through the middle.

"So, this is important, how?" I asked.

"Read it." Katie said simply.

Still slightly confused, I opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper, slightly singed on the edges.

_**My dear,**_

_**I'm sorry it's taken me so long to contact you but I've been very busy getting everything prepared. The jail is nearly set and we should be able to house the guests on Friday, the last day of June. If you bring them no earlier than then, then we should be fine. I look forward to having your company once more, and I cannot wait until we begin the invasion.**_

_**Best regards,**_

_**Dolos**_

I stared in awe at the piece of paper in my hands, pleading to the gods that it was lying. That couldn't be right… Isabel couldn't be Dolos's… But then, it made sense.

Why her parents weren't home, why she didn't want to go to Alcatraz today. Even her words from earlier made a lot more sense now that I knew the truth. _"God, I don't know how you questers do it. I've never been on a quest…"_ The way she spoke as if going on a quest was even a possibility for her. She was a demigod – just like the rest of us, and she kept it hidden all along. She couldn't see through the mist, she just wanted to lead us around on an endless scavenger hunt until it was time; time to bring her father his prize – Us.

I could feel my blood rushing to my head as my sight blurred in anger. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry Travis." Katie said quietly.

Her hand on my shoulder felt like hot coals. I was so fed up with her I wanted to punch her. Instead, I yelled at her.

"Sorry?" I roared, standing up so I could face her. "If there's anything you aren't, it's sorry, Katie Gardner. In fact, I bet you're just _ecstatic _that you were right and I was the stupid one for once, getting a crush on the enemy's daughter."

"Travis…" Connor warned, but I wasn't done.

"I bet you're _sooooo_ proud of yourself for finally proving me wrong. And you know, you should be. In fact, give yourself a big old pat on the back, because, once again, you were right, and I was wrong." In a burst of fury I crumpled the envelope in a ball and threw it into the street, practically seething as I watched a Jeep roll over it, and then a Prius.

Katie was crying.

I could hear her sniffling even over the sounds of LA cars blaring their horns and the Valet parking people talking amongst themselves. It was about twelve o' clock and my stomach was growling like some sort of animal. Connor must have heard it because he held out a hand to Katie.

"Come on guys. Let's get some lunch. We've got to get to San Francisco by the end of the day."

**Katie's POV**

Kiss him.

That was my assignment from Dolos the night before.

Not while he was asleep, or drunk, or anything but completely normal.

And it had to be on the lips.

**Well this is going to be interesting… Good job to reviewer mkc120 for guessing almost EXACTLY what I had in mind for the ending… Not quite though :D:D:D**

**Btw on a completely different note I found a new fandom to be obsessed with – Sherlock on BBC. If there are any other sherlockians on here I'd love for you to send me a message so we can fangirl about Johnlock and all. THANKS FOR READING!**


	11. Determination

**Sorry to keep you all waiting so long, I started camp and my power was out so I've had less time to write. Here is a slightly shorter chapter than normal, but the next chapter should be posted a lot sooner – I've already started it. Hope you enjoy!**

_**Katie's POV**_

Much to my relief we made it to the ferry with limited difficulties. In an effort to save money for tickets, we walked most of the way to the ferry stop, despite the constant longing for a taxi. We made it just as the sun was setting over the water and our view from the benches we decided to camp out on was absolutely breathtaking. I managed to fall asleep quickly – my whole body was fatigued – but Dolos didn't visit me like I had expected, even though I hadn't completed my dare for the day. He was giving me more time, I realized. Not out of kindness, but he figured that the more I mended my relationship with Travis, the worse it would be when I betrayed him. As my eyes fluttered open when some chattering tourists walked by I could feel the dread beginning to sink in.

Today I would be destroying Dolos once and for all. But, in order to fool this master of deception and trickery, I would have to destroy some friendships very important to me.

The ferry ride was calm but painfully so, like the period of stillness and silence before a war. It wasn't hot out, yet I could feel beads of sweat forming all over my skin. I saw Connor out of the corner of my eye and my heart fell in my chest as I watched him and Travis laugh at some lame joke. I didn't want to lose those two. As much as they drove me crazy, I honestly loved them to death. _I will explain everything after. _ I decided. _They will understand_. But part of me was worried that they wouldn't. I had put them through too much, stretched them too thin to expect forgiveness.

As the boat slowly pulled up to the dock, the sweat beads filled and trickled down my forehead almost like tears. We got off the ferry and Connor lead us around mobs of people up to the road that would lead us to the entrance of the prison.

"Sorry kids." a blonde tour guide with green pants chirped, jumping up out of nowhere. "We had some issues with a couple of the cells; the prison won't open for another half an hour. We appreciate your patience."

"Oh ma'am, please." Travis suddenly blurted. "We were here yesterday with our brother – Uh – Tyson. He left his teddy bear in one of the cells. If we wait until the prison opens we'll miss our flight." He smiled at the lady sweetly. "Please? He refuses to sleep without Bear Bear…"

The lady sighed. "I suppose if you know where it is I could take you in quickly."

"Thank you so much." said Connor.

The lady (her name tag read Susan) nodded to another guard as she took us up a slight hill to where the entrance of the prison was. We entered and were immediately grateful that we hadn't decided to wait with the other tourists. The place was a mess.

Dirt and broken glass lay all over the ground. A couple of the cells had bent bars as if the Hulk had tried to drive through. The walls were littered with graffiti – some not-so-friendly Greek words.

"What happened in here?" Travis asked, looking around the room.

"We had a break in a couple of nights ago – the jail's been closed for a few days." Susan explained solemnly. "Every morning the guards show up and the people who had been on night shift are tied up and locked in a cell."

"That's awful." I muttered.

"I know." she agreed. "We'd hoped it would be safe to open for the public today, but I guess we were wrong." She turned and smiled at me. "But it will _definitely _be open tomorrow."

I thought about what she'd said as I stepped over a suspicious pile of something brown. _So the jail has been closed for a couple of days._ I recalled. _So why did Susan believe us when we said we had left the teddy yesterday?_ Suddenly it occurred to me.

_She didn't._

"Connor, Travis, RUN!" I yelled, turning on my heel as fast as I could. I heard footsteps behind me but not as many as I should've. I skidded to a stop and Connor almost ran into me.

"Where's Travis?" I huffed.

When he shrugged, we turned around just in time to watch Travis shove Susan against the door to a cell. A loud clang rang down the hallway and I flinched.

" Where are they." He demanded. "And what are they planning."

To my surprise Susan didn't even bat an eye. "I don't know who this '_they'_ is you speak of. Would you mind letting go of my shirt?"

"She was playing us." he growled. "The entire time she was playing us like a violin."

"It sounds like you've had a rough week sweetheart, why don't you-"

"And you're in on it too!" he shouted.

Susan just smirked. "Correct, although I'm not sure if you'd consider being '_in on' _a plan the same thing as being the mastermind behind it."

With one swift move she grabbed Travis by the collar spun _him_ around into the cell door and took a step backward, an evil glint in her eyes.

"Back off young demigod; it's my turn now. For years I've been stuck in your stupid camp, my severed body in jars in a musty attic."

"That can't be…" Connor whispered. "She was killed!"

"Who is she?" I hissed.

The demon herself answered my question. "I am Kampe, Daughter of Gaea and Tartarus, and I do _not_ deserve to be stuck in such a dreaded place for all eternity."

"You can't be Kampe." Travis said blatantly. Briares pelted her with rocks, we burned her, and stuck her ashes in a jar in the attic of the Big House."

Susan snorted. "Don't be stupid little demigod, you didn't even retrieve half of me from under the rocks." she laughed. "I may be a little burnt but, by no means am I dead!"

As if to prove her theory, she suddenly began to grow. Her pale skin turned green and her eyeballs appeared to roll back into her head, leaving behind two pale, milky orbs. Snakes sprung from her scalp, their blood red tongues licking furiously at the air, and her green pants began to morph into the legs of a dragon and the tail of a scorpion. Animals began to emerge from her waist, snarling at Travis threateningly.

However, just like Travis had said, they had burnt a good amount of her and hid her up in the attic. The animals at her waist had blackened or mostly destroyed faces. When she lifted her wings one had a huge chunk missing from the middle. The scorpion tail bridging from her back had been reduced to a spiky looking stub.

"She's weaker." I said to Connor.

"She is." he agreed. "But let's not take our chances. Travis, _run!_"

Travis didn't need to be asked twice. With one terrified look at Kampe he took off towards us, his legs nearly blurs. Connor and I ran away in a similar manner. I heard Kampe roar behind us. Connor and I were less than five feet from our way out when we heard an ear curdling scream from behind me. I whirled around and felt my stomach drop to the dirty prison floor.

The beast had Travis by his arm. His bad one that had gotten burned in the fire at the hotel. It had definitely healed since then, but it was still delicate.

"Oww!" Travis yelled in pain and the serpents in Kampe's hair hissed mockingly.

"Sadly, the man wants you alive." Kampe explained, honestly sounding disappointed. "Though I'm sure later you'll make a great snack for my pets!"

The burnt animals at her waist cackled and nipped at Travis's clothes, tearing the fabric. With a similar sounding laugh, Kampe held Travis's arms behind his back and began to drag him away.

"We have to save him." I said to Connor, beginning to jog after them.

He held his hand out to stop me. "No, Katie, not yet. We need to think this through. It just doesn't make sense." He motioned for me to follow him and with one backwards glance at Travis and Kampe I obliged.

He led me out onto a large balcony in the back of the prison. The wind ripped at my clothes and hair as I followed him over to the railing, staring out at the water. Connor had a look in his eyes I couldn't quite place. He looked at me and I suddenly understood why he didn't want to go after Travis right away.

"He wanted him alive." I stated, my brain working on processing what this meant.

"Exactly." Connor said. "Which means that he isn't bringing us here to kill us. He wants to use us for something."

"He's been using us for things for a long time." I admitted, and before I could change my mind I leaned over and kissed Connor right on the lips.

_**Katie's POV (I know I'm not changing but I figured this would be more dramatic)**_

Throughout the past two days I had pictured the look that would appear on Connor's face when I kissed him. Every time it caused nervous shivers down my spine and made my throat close up. My heart would start beating a mile a minute and I would feel a wave nausea wash over me; it was such a bad feeling.

But the real thing was so much worse.

His face got red almost immediately but it was out of anger, not embarrassment. His fists were clenched at his sides and thunder rumbled somewhere nearby, mimicking Connor's temper.

After a moment or two, he regained his composure. "Let's go save my brother." he instructed, his voice low and steady. "And then maybe you could explain why you did that."

I gulped down my embarrassment and spoke through my fear.

"How are we going to save him?"

Connor stared at the building with the same look he'd held in his eyes before I kissed him. "I have an idea… Let's hope it works." He walked back towards the door and I finally recognized the look in his eyes.

Determination.


	12. Switches and Tricks

**Holy cow, one more review and I've got 100! Thank you all so much for reading and I'm sorry it took so long to post. I hope you like it **

_**Travis's POV**_

For the size of her arms, Kampe was one strong monster. The deformed animals on her waistline tore at my clothing with their mouths, scratching my skin a couple of times. My wrists and sides were stinging as I was thrust into another section of the jail.

If I'd thought the first hall was destroyed then this one was annihilated. The smell of monster leaked through the gaps in the bars, and bricks were tumbling out of the walls. The room was lit dimly so I could faintly make out the silhouettes of monsters hiding away in the cells. Farther ahead, a dirty hunchbacked creature sat alone in a cell, turned towards the back wall. Demonic laughter filled my ears as I was taken down the long walkway over to where a small figure was sitting in a chair facing the other way. Under normal circumstances, I would've laughed; a small, bushy eye browed spirit spinning around dramatically in an office chair with the price tag still dangling off the arm. But I could tell Dolos meant business.

"Travis Stoll." he greeted giving me a cheeky, ugly smile.

"Dolos," I replied with a slim grin, "Nice to finally meet you."

Kampe gave me a warning squeeze on each arm before letting go of me and turning to leave. Dolos, on the other hand, remained in his chair and crossed his legs casually. He trusted me to remain where I was, not out of kindness but because he knew I knew what would happen to me if I tried to escape. Monsters still cackled from every corner of the prison and they sent shivers up my spine. I didn't show my fear to Dolos, however – I had to remain calm.

"So," I began, "You called me here, you obviously want something. If you wanted to kill me you would've done so a while ago."

Dolos laughed. "Son, if I had wanted to kill you, you wouldn't have been born in the first place." He smiled as my eyes widened slightly. "I am here, obviously, because I need something from you."

"Oh," I nodded, "Of course. I should've guessed. You're the spirit of trickery; clearly you have a reason for bringing me here. What is it, may I ask?"

He smiled. "Quick to the point, just like me. And you are correct; I have had a plan in mind ever since that Athena girl began rebuilding Olympus. It has to do with recognition, Mr. Stoll. Something the spirits do not get much of. The gods would not have won the war against the Titans had it not been for us spirits. Granted, most of us worked behind the scenes, but it's a lot like a play; the show would not go on if it weren't for the crew, you see?"

"Not exactly." I admitted.

"Well _understand this, Mr. Stoll_!" Dolos shouted suddenly. "I have worked _much too long_ on the side of the gods, and put in _too much_ of my own sweat and blood to be given such a limited amount of _appreciation_." he spat out the word. "Gods and demigods do not _appreciate_ all the work we put into their safety."

"Well, you can't tell them that." I informed him. "You try and Zeus will zap you out of the sky."

"I'm not stupid, little demigod."

"Could've fooled me."

"I am _very_ capable of coming up with a plot to destroy you _and _your friends and show the Olympians once and for all that we spirits are dangerous and powerful and deserve credit for all we do."

"And what is this plan, exactly, and how do I fit into it?"

Dolos grinned. "It doesn't have to be you, Stoll. It could be any of you fools. In fact, I could kill you right now and I'd _still _have two goons to work with."

"No you don't." I said quietly. "They ditched me, remember? They ran off." My fists clenched as I pictured their terrified faces as they left me in the arms of the demon.

"That's where you're wrong, buddy. Isn't that right, my dear Kampe?"

"Correct, my lovely Dolos." said a slimy voice from behind me. I turned around to see the demon herself clutching the arms of two familiar demigods. Connor looked at me and raised his eyebrows as a greeting. Katie just stared at the dirty floor.

"I was telling them the plan the whole way here." she gushed.

"Wonderful." said Dolos. "Then perhaps they'd like to explain it to their friend over here. How 'bout it, kids?"

Connor rolled his eyes. "They intend to take over Camp Half-Blood, Travis."

"They want the gods to fear for the lives of their children." Katie explained.

"Precisely, beautiful Katie, and, by the way, I enjoyed watching your show earlier." He winked and Connor looked at Katie confusedly.

Katie ignored Connor and stared at me. "He plans to burn Camp Half-Blood to the ground as some sort of power play to scare the gods."

Dolos nodded. "And the best part is we only need one of you to do the deed and give us permission into the camp. The other two I can give to my lovely servants who have been waiting so patiently." the cell bars rattled as the monsters inside roared.

"No." I said quietly, my voice drowned out by the monsters.

"What's that, boy?" Kampe asked.

I continued, "That can't be true, if you only wanted permission into the camp you would've had Isabel do the deed. She's a demigod."

"Ahh, we had hoped." Dolos admitted. "But apparently half god who is also half demon doesn't work the same way."

Connor suddenly raised his head. "Hold on, Isabel is the spawn of you and…" he looked up at the monster who was clutching his arm.

Kampe smiled. "Problem, kiddo?"

The three of us shuddered. "That's gross." I told Dolos.

"Yes, and very inconvenient, because now I've got an extra demigod on my hands that is of no use to me… So I suppose she will share the same fate as two of you."

Katie stared at him. "You… You don't care about your own daughter?"

He shrugged. "Why should I. She was going to betray me anyway. She came back to the prison with a blade in her hands prepared to cut my head off or something." he chuckled. "You can tell by her current state that her plan ultimately failed." He pointed to the cell next to me and I gasped as I recognized the dirty, hunched over creature as the girl who I had been kissing less than twenty four hours ago.

"Isabel?" I gasped.

She didn't respond. In fact, she didn't even move. She looked awful – covered in dirt and grime. The only clean thing on her was a sparkling hairclip fastened just above her ear. Seeing that clip brought forth a sense of déjà vu in my head, but I just couldn't place it.

"Don't worry darling, you'll get to see her soon enough." Dolos swooned. "See her get eaten, anyway." He chuckled and began going on about the different ways he intended to destroy Camp Half-Blood once he got inside. I took the time to look around the room, desperate for an escape.

Various fluorescent lights were suspended above us, swaying whenever Dolos raised his voice. Not too far ahead a door stood, and I could only hope it was unlocked. I met Connor's eye and he nodded to me.

He had a plan.

_**Connor's POV**_

When Travis met my eyes, I knew he was thinking the same thing I was.

We couldn't fight them.

A spirit of trickery and a demon as old as the gods themselves; we had about as much of a chance as three ants against two lions. Escape was our only option, _preferably with Isabel – _Travis's eyes seemed to say. I nodded at Katie to tell her that I was going to begin my plan. I could only hope that Dolos was as stupid as I thought.

I started by clearing my throat. "Excuse me, Mr. Dolos, I apologize for interrupting you, but I'd just like to commend you."

Dolos opened his mouth to tell me to shut up, but when he heard what I said last, he paused. "Commend me?"

"Oh yes. Very much, sir. This is a very well thought out plan and I think you did wonderfully – A plus." I added.

Dolos snorted but his eyes seemed pleased. "Young man, flattery will get you nowhere. Although I might spare you, just for your effort."

"Thank you sir." I smiled, praying to the gods that my brother and Katie didn't think that was my actual plan. "I'd be honored to allow you into Camp Half-Blood."

"Really?" Dolos raised one bushy eyebrow. "You would?"

"Pft," I waved a hand dismissively, "Of course! It would be a dream come true to be part of such an _ingenious_ plan. I mean, honestly, using the jail was _exceptionally _inventive."

"Well it's good to be appreciated." Dolos admitted before turning back to Katie.

"Actually," Kampe took a step forward, causing Katie and I to stumble along. "_Actually_, sweetheart, the whole 'jail' aspect was my idea."

Dolos blinked. "Was it? I can't remember. We can just say it was mine, for the sake of it, okay darling?" he smiled at Kampe who was doing the exact opposite back at him. "Anyway-"

"Actually," Kampe repeated, taking another step. I was prepared this time, but Katie nearly fell, dragging the rest of us down with her. "Actually, we can't. Most of this plan was my idea anyway, love."

Dolos uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, a joke on his lips but a threat in his eyes. "Hmm… Interesting how you see it that way, Honeybee, because I don't see it that way at all."

"Well you should," Kampe snapped, "Because without my input these children wouldn't be standing here now. Without _me _you would have _never_ decided to blackmail this girl and make her do immoral things to _that _one just to spite the love goddess!" she thrust her finger towards me.

"Shh! Shh!" While Dolos jumped out of his seat and ran towards Kampe, I tried to process what she had said. Dolos had blackmailed Katie? I turned to look at her and she nodded, grimly. I suddenly felt awful. She hadn't wanted to flirt with me – she probably wanted nothing to do with me. He had forced her to kiss me this morning and I had practically yelled at her, falling right into his trap. That horrible feeling in my chest suddenly turned to stupidity. I tried to make eye contact with Katie, but she was staring at the ground, refusing to look at my face.

Meanwhile, Kampe and Dolos were arguing like a married couple, foot stomping and all. The monsters around her waist were hollering and hissing at the spirit, and the few snakes that served as her hair bared their fangs. Despite what I had hoped, her grip had begun to tighten around my wrist. I grimaced as my hand began to go numb. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Travis at the door to Isabel's cell, trying to figure out how to unlock it. She was whispering harshly at him to get out of here and forget about her. Even from our distance away I could see that her eyes, nose, and cheeks were red from crying. As much as I hated her for tricking Travis, I couldn't help but admire how she had switched so quickly to our side. With this thought, I had a sudden sense of déjà vu. I didn't have time to think about it, however, because Kampe had let go of Katie's and my wrists. Exactly like I'd planned. While she threatened to bash Dolos's face in, we slowly tiptoed away.

We made it over to Travis, unbeknownst to the spirit and the monster, and immediately began to work on an escape plan.

"Any ideas?" I whispered to Travis.

"One." he responded. "Once we get Isabel out."

"Please no!" she whimpered. "Don't waste your time with me. I deserve whatever I get."

"No you don't." I insisted. "You deserve to come to Camp Half-Blood with us. You'll belong there. You'll be one of us."

"I can't." she breathed.

"Yes you can." Katie spoke up from behind us. We all turned, surprised she'd agree with us. "I may not like you, Isabel, but I don't hate you enough to want you eaten by monsters."

Isabel opened her mouth to reply but Katie wasn't finished.

"I don't deny that half this quest I wanted you dead. I was jealous of you, and I know that know and I'm really sorry about the way I treated you. I appreciate the fact that you tried to help us… Even if it was a little last minute." she gave a joking smile and suddenly something clicked in my brain.

"A last minute switch!" I blurted and they all shushed me, whirling around to see if Kampe and Dolos had heard me. To my dismay, Dolos had finally remembered that we were here and was glaring at us.

I hissed, "Isabel, use your hairpin. Quick!"

Katie and Travis gasped, suddenly remembering the prophecy line, _'A last minute switch and a trick with a pin.'_

Luckily for us, Isabel understood and immediately took the clip out of her hair. "Go!" she ordered. "Distract them, and I'll get out on my own."

"You won't make it!" I insisted, but she shook her head.

"I know a way."

We took her word for it and immediately took off for the door at the end of the hall. Despite his stout and stubby appearance, Dolos was fast. He took off past Kampe and tore after us, his thudding shoes shaking the fluorescent lights overhead with every stride. As we got closer and closer to our escape, Travis pulled ahead of Katie and me. He held his hand out, prepared to rip open that door with all his strength. He grasped the handle and yanked – and nearly fell over. The locked knob mocked us, seeming to hurt Travis's hand as he recoiled.

This had not been part of his plan. That door was _not _supposed to be locked.

We looked around wildly for another escape, but Dolos had already slowed down, a devilish looking Kampe at his heels.

"That was very devious, Rat." Dolos complimented me. "And that's coming from the king of devious. It's really such a shame that you're about to be eaten by my monsters."

Laughs erupted from every dark corner of the jail and I swear the whole island shook. Travis, bless my brother's heart, stepped forward.

"If you want to kill Connor, you'll have to get past me."

Dolos shrugged. "Okay then. I'll kill you two and Katie will lead us into your camp. That was my original plan, anyway."

Katie walked towards Dolos, her eyes murderous. "You will _not_ kill my friends."

Dolos almost took a step back before he regained his composure. "Sorry love, I don't need them anymore. All they had to do was get you here, and that was easy. They've served their purpose." he looked at her sweetly. "Face it, Kate Pate, _you lost._" He whispered the final words and Katie clenched her fists.

"You don't have to kill them!" she shouted. "Why do they need to die?"

"I promised my monsters food." he explained. "They want human flesh."

"Well they'll get human flesh!"

The shout echoed across the whole room, causing all of us to freeze. At first I thought it was Katie, but she looked as dumbstruck as the rest of us. It seemed to almost come from above us… But that wasn't possib-

But it was. She swung from the fluorescent lights, her black wings outstretched, dark dirty hair flying out behind her. She was nearly a blur as she swooped down, grabbed Dolos with her huge talons, and carried him down the hall. His stubby little feel kicked around but her grip was firm. Kampe hissed and tried to take flight, but her wings were still burnt. Instead, she made her animal heads shoot her limited venom at Isabel.

Suddenly, she appeared to fall out of the sky, nearly running Dolos over. She hit a cell headfirst and the door swung open. She tossed Dolos in and shut it, breathing heavily. The monsters in the cell roared hungrily and Dolos pleaded. But Isabel was done with him. She folded her wings and started towards us.

Her old cell door was still open and we understood her plan. On my signal we all kicked the demon in the back, sending her sprawling forward – right into the cell. Isabel shut the door and locked it before Kampe could even regain her balance.

"Let's go!" Travis commanded, running back the way we'd come in. We all turned to follow him… Except Isabel.

"Let's go!" Katie urged her.

She shook her head.

"Come on Isabel," said Travis, "You'll love Camp Half-Blood. You'll have a home and a family. _Please _don't be afraid."

"I want to go." she said.

"Awesome!" I exclaimed.

"But I can't." We all stared at her as she slowly opened her folded wings, or, what was left of them.

A green poison was deteriorating them and making its way towards her torso. We hadn't realized it, but she hadn't fallen into the cell door on purpose. Kampe had gotten her with her poison and it was consuming quickly. Her skin was pale and her eyes looked sickly. "Leave." she ordered. "Go get the gods before Kampe hurts anybody else."

"Isabel." Travis pleaded.

"I'm dying, Travis." she told him. "But you don't need to die too." She turned back to Kampe who was shoving herself against the bars, minutes from breaking through and destroying us.

He nodded in sad understanding, and told her to lie down on the floor. Careful not to touch the poisonous parts, he folded her wings on top of her. She stared at him through slightly opened eyes and took a slow breath. "I hope half demons don't get sent to Tartarus." she joked numbly.

Travis didn't even smile. "I'll make sure you don't."

Isabel motioned for me to come closer and I leaned over her.

"Get them together for me, okay?" she whispered.

I smiled. "I don't think I'll have to do much."

She laughed but then winced in pain. "Thank you." she muttered.

"Thank _you_." we all told her.

With one final, shaky breath she closed her dark eyes and relaxed for the last time. She looked surprisingly wistful laying there on the ground, seemingly proud of how she died.

"I want to give her something." Travis said thoughtfully. "I just don't know what."

"Well, decide quickly." I urged, nervously glancing at Kampe.

He walked towards Kampe's cell, careful not to step in the puddles of poison. She seemed to have used up all the venom that she had left. Travis picked something up off the ground and returned to us. Brushing over Isabel's cheek, he slid the sparkling pin into her raven hair breathing a secret in her ear. We all wished Isabel a final goodbye before jogging towards our only exit.

The hardest part was not looking back.


	13. Epilogue

**Last chapter! I feel like I say this too much, but I'm so sorry it took so long to update – high school is kicking my butt. I hope you like the ending! Thank you for sticking with the story even with all the space between updates! :D**

**Epilogue**

_**Travis's POV**_

"Katie Gardner!" I yelled at the top of my lungs from inside the Hermes cabin bathroom. I heard giggling outside the door and I threw clothes on before stomping out.

"What the hades is this?" I shouted, pointing towards my hair. The two of them burst into laughter and the rest of the kids in the Hermes cabin looked over.

"Oh my god, Travis!" said one of my brothers, Alex. "You look like that Doctor Seuss character, 'Thing One,' or whatever."

Connor nodded in agreement. "It's a good look for you bro."

I ran back into the bathroom and stared at my reflection. My normally light brown hair was now the shade of an unripen blueberry. "How can I make it go away?" I whined.

Katie giggled. "Hmm, let me see if I can remember… The last time part of _me _was died blue, what were the conditions?"

I blinked and then a small smile appeared on my face. I wiped it away, however, and took a step out of the bathroom.

"Are you serious?" I asked her, my eyes wide.

"Serious as ever." she replied.

I rolled my eyes and walked over, messing up her hair as I sat down beside her on the edge of Connor's bed. The whole cabin was watching now as I leaned over and pressed my lips to her cheek, smiling when she smiled. When I pulled away and I stared into her laughing eyes, I couldn't help but think about all the time we'd spent together lately.

After we'd left Alcatraz, we walked around San Francisco for a while, checking out the cable cars and restaurants. When we eventually got tired, Connor excused himself to go to the restroom. When he came back he was grinning from ear to ear to say that our ride was coming. I remember laughing like a banshee in the hot pink helicopter that Aphrodite had apparently sent for us. The best part of it was that Katie was laughing like a banshee right next to me. We spent that night in a hotel so that we could goof around for a little while before heading back to camp. That night we took some time before going to sleep to go through the prophecy.

"_Trickery and chaos has shelter to hide_

_Where hundreds of devils, not angels, reside"_ was referring to Dolos and Kampe and their plan in Alcatraz.

"_The smell of betrayal, a hint of chagrin._

_A last minute switch, and a trick with a pin."_was talking about when Isabel betrayed us and I felt let down. But then, later, Isabel redeemed herself and switched to our side, using the pin to get out of the cell.

"_A god with a mission will finish their task,"_ I still don't fully understand this line, because Dolos certainly didn't finish his task (the gods brought him up to Olympus – his trial is in a few weeks), but Connor said that the prophecy was referring to a different god.

"_Revealing a hero proclaimed and unmasked."_ I feel like this line could refer to all of us at some time or another, but after talking it over, we agreed that the true hero was definitely Isabel. After the gods took care of Dolos and Kampe (she's back down in Tartarus), the allowed us to have a proper burial for Isabel. It was hard on all of us, but we know that we will always remember her as the demigod who saved our lives.

Ever since then things have been pretty normal. The only difference is that Katie and I have been spending a lot more time together. I haven't played a prank on her in weeks, though – and it seems she beat me to it. Everyone in the cabin was still giggling and I was wondering why. It wasn't until I saw my reflection in the small mirror on the wall that I snarled and jokingly grabbed Katie by the shoulders. I pinned her down and said, my face tomato red, "I thought you said it'd go away if I… you know!"

She giggled and so did everyone else in the room. "I said no such thing!" she insisted.

"Well how do I make it go away?" I whined.

She shrugged. "You can't, kiddo…"

"_What?_"

"Until tomorrow. It should naturally disappear in the morning."

I let go of her shoulders and flopped backwards. "I have to live with looking like Thing One for the _rest _of the _day_?"

"Hey, I looked like a smurf for over a week." she pointed out.

"You did look like a smurf."

"Shut up."

"But hold on," I began, "Why'd you make me kiss you if it wouldn't get rid of the blue hair?"

She blushed. "I don't know, Stoll, why don't you tell me?"

There was a chorus of _Ooh_'s from the rest of the cabin, and I saw a wide grin appear on Connor's face.

"Well, I g-guess," I stammered, "I guess maybe you…" I trailed off. I could feel the anticipation in the air – my hands began to sweat. Katie was staring at me, a small smile on her lips. I cleared my throat. "I guess, that maybe you feel like-"

I didn't finish that sentence. Instead, I leaned in and…

**Connor's POV**

There's nothing better than staring into the face of an ecstatic goddess.

"You did it!" Aphrodite squealed. "You really did it!"

"When did you doubt me?" I asked, laughing.

"Never." she answered and I beamed. "I'm proud of you, Connor Stoll, or should I say, Mister Matchmaker."

"Connor's fine." I told her and she burst into a fit of giggling again.

"So what do you say, Stoll?" she asked after a few moments.

"About what?"

"About being Mister Matchmaker." she said as if it were obvious. "How about we make a team. Together, we can get demigods together with their other half! We'll be unstoppable…"

I smiled. "I don't know, Ms. Aphrodite, sounds like a lot of work."

"But it's fun, isn't it?" she pointed out.

I shrugged. It had been pretty fun getting Katie and Travis together. But, then again, he's my brother.

"Come on," she began, "Don't tell me you don't want to see Rachel and that Apollo boy as a couple."

"They would look good…"

"With her red hair,"

"And his brown hair." I finished. "Oh my gods, I'm turning into you!"

She smiled. "Who do you see Nico with?"

"Thalia." I answered, without skipping a beat.

"I know right!" she exclaimed.

"They've got the whole _'almost goth' _thing going on."

"Exactly." she agreed.

I sighed. It _would _be a ton of fun to get all these demigods together. "Alright." I decided. "I'm in."

Aphrodite cheered. "We'll be unstoppable!"

And I couldn't help but agree.

"And," she began, "we'll always think of Tratie as our first in a line of many successes."

"Kate Pate and Travis." I agreed, and we both burst into a fit of laughter.

**Did you like it? Hope so! If you want to read some Thalico, check out my other story, "Just Another Useless Prince Charming," or if you want more of Connor and Travis, "Half-Blood Idol." Thanks again for reading and reviewing, and have a great Thanksgiving!**


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